Innocence
by LaughingLefou
Summary: She didn't want much out of a relationship. Just someone willing to submit to her. Someone willing to love her. Someone...innocent. (Rated M for Smuttiness and general Naughtiness) ((Cover art by Exvnir))
1. I

_I do not own RWBY_

 **Innocence**

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Her fingers, slender and delicate, beat out a slow rhythm against the old, stained oak table that sat in the corner of the little cafe. Before her, steam rising up barely visible against the dim lamplight that illuminated her dark little corner, a cup of coffee sat, freshly brewed not five minutes prior. Soft pink lips turn downwards slightly, even as the fingers of her other hand grasp the handle of the coffee cup gently and bring it upward. She sips upon it, just enough not to burn her tongue on the fresh black elixir. One eye, silver, and one eye, pink, stare out dispassionately onto the rest of the tiny little cafe, not observing, but simply staring. She blinks, and the colors shift.

She places the cup of coffee down before her and sighs.

Being alone was something she'd gotten used to. At first, it wasn't from choice. She was, as many were, abandoned. Left to rot out on the diseased and grime ridden streets of Vale. She learned her lessons quickly, knowing that the only other option was a slow and drawn out death, or even worse, life. Even after meeting the man she'd call her partner, and in some small way, her friend, she still found herself often alone. Today was by choice. She could have joined her cigar-smoking friend on one of his newest jobs, but she just couldn't find the motivation to do it. Luckily, their new...well, for lack of a better term, boss seemed fine with her simply taking the day off to sit and…

What _was_ she doing?

Delicate, soft pink lips turn further downwards, and her brows furrow. Sitting alone in a little coffee shop, contemplating life. More specifically, her love life, or lack thereof anyway. She respected Roman, she really did. In a way, she liked him. He was undeniably charismatic, and charming when he wasn't trying to threaten someone. He was a pleasure to work with, and never attempted to cheat Neo out of her cut of anything. Well, at least not after she'd proven just how dangerous she could really be. However, Roman was not a potential romantic interest. Not to her anyway.

No. There was but one thing that the young woman desired in a lover. She wanted something different from the crime and the wickedness that she lived amidst in her day to day dealings. She didn't want some egomaniacal jerk who thought himself Oum's gift to women. She didn't want to deal with someone like that silver haired jackass who hung around Cinder and Emerald. Mike, was his name? She shook her head, perfectly coiffed hair bobbing with the movements. It didn't matter. There was but one thing she wanted in a man.

 _Innocence._

Not complete innocence. She wasn't looking for someone who thought that storks brought babies. She wanted someone who at least knew the basics of what to do when presented with a woman's figure. No, she wanted someone who was emotionally innocent. Someone who believed in things like soulmates. Someone who believed that the way to a woman's heart was to court her. Someone who found the concept of a one night stand deplorable.

Not just that, but she wanted social innocence. She wanted someone she could come home to after a long day of dealing with drug pushers, and pimps, and pedophiles, and rapists, and murderers, and everything that made Vale the disgusting cesspool she knew it was, and cuddle up to someone who would never be involved in that life. A little slice of heaven amidst hell. Someone who wasn't afraid to say the words she'd never, _ever_ been told.

 _I love you, Neo._

Her lovely face takes on an almost thoughtful expression. Now that she was fantasizing about her perfect mate, she also wanted someone who wasn't prideful. More to the fact, someone who'd let her...well, dominate them. Neo wanted to be in control in the relationship. She wanted to be someone's goddess. She could just imagine someone tied to her bed, blindfolded and naked, letting her glide the tip of her parasol blade along their chest, but letting her, trusting her that she'd not harm them.

And she wouldn't either.

Contrary to popular belief, while she was a bit of a sadist, she wasn't a serial killer. She was a professional. An assassin. Someone who didn't kill because she got off to it, or got some sort of thrill from it, but simply because it was her duty.

Her index finger gently drew circles against the table she sat at, her head tilted and held against the palm of her other hand, coffee now forgotten. Roman and Mike (or whatever his name was) and everyone else in her circle of people she knew were far too prideful to let a petite girl like her have control over them, no matter how much ass she could actually kick. Nor did she have any interest in any female form but her own. Still, the life of an assassin and thief was not one that lent itself to finding many dating opportunities.

That was it. Someone innocent. Someone who wasn't too prideful. She wouldn't be selfish either. She'd make sure they'd be happy. She knew a relationship was give and take, and while her own background was far from happy, she wasn't going to let the rest of her life follow suit.

 _Innocence._

Her thoughtful expression takes on a more mischievous smile, an impish grin signifying less than wholesome thoughts within.

Of course, when she managed to get said lover to perform some of her more...erotic acts, the thought of being the one to corrupt that innocence would be an aphrodisiac more potent than any drug on the streets. The mere thought alone of someone who loved her, who adored her, willing to debase themselves for her pleasure had her thighs slowly rubbing against each other and her lips turning upward further. Oh yes. Her lover would experience both overwhelming love and lust in equal amounts, she'd make sure of it.

Her good mood and subsequent arousal died quickly however, upon the realization that said individual would be impossible to find, especially in Vale. Her expression fell and she once again balanced her head upon the palm of her hand as she sighed deeply.

A bell chimes.

A voice breaks the tranquility and peace of the almost completely silent coffee shop.

"...And I saw her smiling at him, Ren. It's over. She's happy and I…"

Neo boredly looks over to the front door to see two figures. One, a tall, gangly blond wearing a baggy black hoodie and a pair of faded jeans; the other, a thin, lithe young man with ebony hair, a violently out of place magenta stripe upon it wearing exotic green robes. Judging from the looks of the two, they were Hunters, or more likely Huntsmen-in-training. She rolled her eyes and began to tune them out to go back to her thoughts.

"Jaune...sometimes people just aren't meant to be. It doesn't mean you won't find another."

The sound of a chair grinding against the floor caused Neo to flinch and very briefly consider 'teaching' the two a lesson in not interrupting her peaceful coffee breaks. She looked up with an irritated expression, a hand gently caressing the handle of her parasol. Something however caught her eye. The blond boy looked positively miserable. Like someone had just murdered his parents or something. The boy with the stripe in his hair seemed to be trying to comfort his friend, his tone quiet and even.

"I know it was stupid of me, but a part of me...a part of me wished that I could have convinced her I was the one for her. I'd dreamed about it, you know? Taking her to the opera, visiting an art gallery…" The blond boy ran a hand through his hair and gave a deep sigh.

"I thought you didn't like any of those things?"

"I don't," the blond replied sheepishly, "but love sometimes requires a sacrifice."

Neo blinked. That...that actually sounded romantic to her. He didn't even sound like he was trying to impress anyone, as if he believed the words he said! Suddenly she felt her anger melting away, being replaced with curiosity.

The barista walked up to the two of them, notepad in hand. "Hi there, what can I get you gentlemen?"

The ebony haired young man answered. "Green tea for me, and…" he trailed off, waiting his friend's response.

"Hot cocoa for me, please.." The barista took down the blond's order and with a polite smile wandered away to fulfil their requests. The depressed young man turned back to his friend, shaking his head. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised. A guy like me, and a girl like her? There was just no way, was there?"

Neo stared some more, taking a sip of her now cold coffee, the normally disgusting taste not registering as she curiously regarded the two. At first glance, the blond was nothing special. Awkward, ungainly and even a little pathetic looking. But those eyes...those eyes of his...Neo found herself unable to look away, even for a moment. They were enchanting. They weren't the eyes of a criminal, no. The expression in them was so pure, so…

 _Innocent._

His friend sat down and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say that.."

"What was the problem? Was I too creepy? Did I come across as though I was just trying to sleep with her? I swear I wasn't! I just wanted to hold her, to...to…" The blond boy dropped his head into his arms, unable to finish his sentence. The boy in black placed a hand upon his friend's shoulder and gently patted him, trying to console him.

And Neo?

She could only sit and watch. The boy, Jaune, was so heartbroken. This. This was the purity she'd been looking for. Roman would have mocked him, called him a fool for believing in such notions as romance, but Neo found herself captivated. He really _believed_ in it. There was no one around to impress, no one around he was trying to convince. He was just pouring his heart out to a friend, unaware of anyone around him.

Suddenly her little fantasy of having someone bound to her bed came back in vivid detail. Normally the figure of her supposed lover was always so vague and obscure, but now it was sapphire eyes gazing up at her, filled with adoration and need. It was blond hair that she affectionately toussled. It was a lanky figure that she gently ran her hands across and sharply smacked with a riding crop. She, the beautiful goddess straddling him, staring down at him with a smile that promised that everything would be alright if he gave into her.

" _Neo…"_ The dream-Jaune replied, " _My love...my goddess…"_

All at once Neo felt her arousal grow, an undeniable heat pooling in the pit of her stomach. She licked her lips as her focus fell squarely upon Jaune. A thought came to mind. The table at which she sat was located in the corner of the room, behind a divider that came up only halfway to the ceiling, so one could easily look over it. Even if the young boy were to look over at her, all he'd see would be Neo's lascivious smile as she stared hungrily at him. Below the table however?

A single dainty hand dipped below the table, beneath the rough fabric of her black jeans and underneath the frilly lace of her pink panties. A single finger quested deeper and she could feel the heat from her sex from proximity alone. She licked her lips again, eager. The entire situation had become so erotic now that she thought about it. That cute, _innocent_ boy had no idea that a woman like her, an assassin, was touching herself mere feet from him.

She wanted him.

The single finger oh-so-gently brushed across her folds and Neo took in a sharp breath between her teeth as she continued watching Jaune bemoan his love life. Oh, if she had a chance, she'd help him forget all about...whoever it was. It didn't matter. She'd love the memory of her right out of him until all he had left was his beautiful petite goddess. Her finger gently traced her labia, causing her to shiver with delight.

Her gaze fell to his lips, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. To just walk over, in the middle of his conversation, and press her own against his. To drag her tongue across his until couldn't breathe. By this point, the words he spoke meant nothing, and all the young woman could do was just watch his every moment, his every twitch. She slowly slid one finger inside of herself, and her eyes fluttered in ecstasy.

Did he prefer to be tied up with rougher rope, or did he prefer a more sensually soft material like silk? Handcuffs perhaps? Did he like to be spanked? What was his pain tolerance? Neo's mind was rolling through possibilities as she continued to rub herself, her finger gliding across her womanhood. Another finger joined the first one, and the two slid inside of her, Neo glad for once she was mute. There was no way she wouldn't have been moaning in pleasure otherwise.

Even as her fingers moved with reckless abandon, her lace panties becoming soaked in her own fluids, all she could think about was how much she wanted him. She wanted to know more about him. It was crazy, she'd never felt like this about anyone else, and yet...she couldn't stop. Her fingers wouldn't stop. Her breaths came out in shallow pants and she felt herself starting to drool. Everything else in the cafe was so blurry, so distant, so unimportant compared to her new blond angel.

Her other hand reached down and yanked her pants further down. If he could see over the divider between them and underneath the table, he'd get a full view of her slit fully spread, glistening with her arousal. The same hand then reached up her shirt, moving aside the pink lace bra to grasp her breast, perfectly manicured nails pinching and pulling at her erect nipples. The barista was smart enough to know not to go anywhere near her, even if she did realize what Neo was doing.

Minutes passed. The blond boy and his friend continued chatting, their conversation drifting toward other things as they drank their drinks. Both were unaware of the hungry, lustful stare thrown their way, or more specifically, at the blond. The blond's face had slowly began to evolve from its heartbroken, dejected state, to a more happy one as his friend cracked a joke or two. His smile grew as time passed and the conversation continued, never realizing he had shown a new face to the multi-colored assassin girl furiously masturbating only a few tables over. To Neo, that smile was so beautiful, so warming, so…

 _Innocent_.

She was _so_ close. So very, very close. She could feel herself contracting against her fingers, her fluids spilling out onto the wooden chair upon which she sat, dripping to the floor below. She spread herself, letting delicate fingers circle her clit before plunging them back into herself. That was it. She was going to finish, kidnap him and drag him back to her penthouse and love him until he said those all important words.

 _I love you, Neo._

With that imaginary confession, Neo came. Her body shook, her nectar spilling out onto her hand as she began panting. Thighs clamped down, her fingers pushed as deep inside of her as they could with the walls of her sex tightening around them. If she were capable of speech, she'd have let the entire city block know she'd orgasmed with her theoretical scream of ecstasy. She sat there, panting, drooling, breathing heavily in her post-orgasmic bliss.

It was at that point, Jaune Arc, Huntsman-in-training happened to glance about the shop they were in after having been told by Ren how old the shop they were in really was, and blue eyes made contact with one silver and one pink eye. A couple of heartbeats passed. From Jaune's perspective, the young woman sitting across the counter looked a bit off, as though she'd been running. However, once she noticed he'd been gazing at her, her pink lips turned upward into a mischievous smile, and she lazily winked at him.

Someone that cute winking at _him_? Couldn't have been. He looked behind him to see who was there, only to find the rest of the cafe was empty. He turned back to the woman with the pink and brown hair to see her still staring at him, this time slowly licking her lips. Jaune's cheeks went pink and he quickly turned around back to his friend, who was distracted by his steaming cup of green tea. "Don't know how you can drink that stuff, dude."

Ren cocked an eyebrow. "What? It's healthy for you. Green tea has many properties that promote good health and…"

Neo and Jaune both tuned out the young man's schpiel about his tea. Neo removed the hand from her crotch and with a nearby stack of napkins, cleaned herself up. The mess remaining would have to be dealt with by the staff; she couldn't care less. It was taking every ounce of willpower not to rush over to the other table, grab the blond boy and scatter. No. She wanted him willingly. It would cause too much trouble to kidnap a Beacon student. Still...how would she get him to come to her? Her pants were pulled up, and coffee pushed aside as she thought.

Pink lips turned upward.

It was simple.

Jaune absentmindedly sipped on his drink, his mind contemplating the events of a few moments prior. Who was that young woman? She was certainly beautiful. Those eyes of hers were cute, intriguing even. He shook his head. No, there was no sense in even attempting to go over there and flirt. She was probably just teasing him, like Yang and so many others. His eyes flickered up at his friend sitting across from him, who was still going on about green tea. Jaune grimaced. Once Ren got going about something he was almost as bad as Nora.

The scent of vanilla filled his nose and he blinked curiously. He wondered where it could have been coming from, when _something_ brushed past him. Not enough to jostle him, or knock him aside, just enough to catch his attention. Right in his field of view, he could see it. Pert, petite and perfectly shaped, was a young woman's ass. Actually, now that he looked up, it was the same young woman who'd winked at him earlier, walking past him in a very fashionable outfit. Her hips swayed from side to side as she walked, her heels clicking against the floor of the cafe. Jaune watched, entranced. She was certainly curvaceous, if a bit short. Most certainly beautiful, if Jaune was to voice his opinion.

She stopped at the door of the cafe, and very slowly turned her head over her shoulder, looking directly at him, and smiled. Slowly, she winked again and pursed her lips in a kissing motion before strutting out, leaving Jaune's eyes wide with surprise. He turned to Ren, still in mid conversation, and tried to interrupt him, but stopped when he noticed something. A napkin had been placed atop his mug of hot cocoa, with something written on it, and a Scroll number beneath it.

 _Text me. 3_

Jaune's lips turned upward again, smiling wide. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and a beautiful woman like that actually hitting on him? A gift indeed. He stuffed the napkin in his pocket and took another sip of his coco.

He wondered what she'd want to do for a first date?

A movie, perhaps?

It'd certainly be an _innocent_ suggestion…

He almost laughed to himself, shaking his head. He was counting his chickens before they hatched, and he wouldn't make that same mistake as he'd made with Weiss. He'd text her first, waiting a little bit before he did so, however, and just...chat. See where things went from there.

Yeah.

"...And some cultures even believe it increases your libido."

Jaune blinked and made eye contact with Ren.

"I'm still not drinking it."

 _ **A/N: Re-uploaded on my channel 'cause I stopped giving a carp. More to come later. Not going to be 100% smut, but there will be moar smut later on. Um…**_

…

 _ **I'm gonna finish the rest of my philly cheesesteak nao. Enjoy. Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou**_


	2. II

_I do not own RWBY_

 **Innocence**

 **II**

* * *

 _Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom…_

It was a sad fact that the deafening bass that pounded in time with the throbbing of Jaune's headache was the _least_ terrible thing to have happened to him that day. Alone he sat, nursing a glass with ice and an amber liquid, most likely alcohol judging by the look on his face. No one bothered to approach him, which, if he was being honest, was exactly how he wanted it. Today _sucked_. There was no other way to describe it. It was one of those days, those days that had been occurring with greater than normal frequency as of late. The kind of days that made him stop and seriously consider admitting his sin to Ozpin to get kicked out. The kind of day that put him in a black mood.

The day had started off innocently enough, but quickly nosedived right about breakfast, when he found himself once again the butt of Yang's teasing and jokes. People all about snickered and pointed fingers at him, and he did as he usually did, tried to laugh it off. It stung though. The pain only grew when Ruby, sweet, innocent Ruby, joined in. He wasn't angry with her, knowing that she too meant it in jest, and that if he actually told her how much the light-hearted mockery really hurt, she'd stop, but still…

Even worse than that, if he didn't know any better he'd say that Weiss herself was almost rubbing her new relationship right in his face. She spent the entirety of breakfast flirting with Neptune, and every time he called her 'Snow Angel,' she'd giggle and blush and act coy and Jaune felt his heart drop a little further. By the end of breakfast, Jaune could already tell the day was going to be a bad one. Then Combat Class came about, and things could only get worse for him. It was, as always, him versus Cardin. That alone was enough to make him feel depressed; it was _always_ him versus Cardin. Because Cardin was the second most useless Hunter in class and the only person who Jaune even stood a remote chance against fighting.

Distracted from the morning's mockery and being forced to watch as his crush fell for another man, Jaune was not at his best. Cardin tore into him, wearing that arrogant little sneer he always wore when they fought. It wasn't very long before the buzzer sounded, Goodwitch impassionately explaining that the battle was over and giving Jaune a look as though she knew he was a useless excuse for a Hunter. This only served to devastate Jaune even further. He couldn't even look his partner, Pyrrha, in the eye afterward. It felt as though he'd failed her as a teacher that he had done so badly. She tried to comfort him, and yet all that did was serve to make him feel worse.

Then, as if the gods of Remnant had decided that he hadn't suffered enough, during laundry later on that day, Jaune realized that he'd washed the pants with the number of that incredibly cute girl that he'd stuffed into the pocket. By the time he'd managed to pull it out of the communal washing machine, it was too late, and the now ball of soggy, falling apart napkin was all he had left. Not only was he not allowed to have the girl of his dreams, but now he couldn't even chat with the petite cutie from the cafe. This was the last straw. Amidst the concerned vocalizations of his team, Jaune had simply stated he'd be gone for the night and left Beacon on the first Bullhead he could find.

So there he sat. Alone. Nursing the strongest thing he could afford. It tasted like turpentine, and yet the buzz was at least slightly pleasant. Still, with all the dancing and loud music, it appeared as though his misery wasn't yet complete. He took another swig of it and gave a twisted expression as the burning liquid travelled its way down his throat, leaving behind a strange aftertaste and a very warm feeling. He must have made for one hell of a sorry sight, sitting there all by himself.

For the ten-thousandth time that night, his scroll began to buzz. It wasn't even audible over the din of the nightclub, but the vibration against the table caused his drink to shake ever so slightly, cueing him on to the oncoming message. As he had all night long, he ignored it. He was ninety nine percent certain that it was Pyrrha, probably worrying that he tripped over his own shoelaces or something. He cared about his partner, he really did, but sometimes she acted so...so...motherly. Like he was incapable of taking care of himself. The worst part was he was starting to think she was right. He snorted, and took another drink, trying not to cough and gag on the burning liquid.

"Like, hey!" A voice cut through the amplified bass and electronic music and Jaune slowly moved his head upward to find himself staring at a woman with raven black hair and blue eyes wearing a white dress. "Are you okay?"

Fighting the urge to snap at her, he swallowed and nodded. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." Jaune managed to shout over the music.

"Why aren't you, like, dancing out there with everyone else?" The woman asked curiously, her eyes flickering over his figure with an almost hungry gaze.

Jaune didn't notice it, however, instead too busy being in a foul mood. "I can't dance." Jaune lied, internally wishing that he could be left alone. Couldn't she see the metaphorical stormclouds gathering above him? Or did someone manage to post a "please bother me all night long even though I've had the shittiest day ever" sign somewhere on his person and he just didn't notice?

The woman gave a laugh that set Jaune's teeth on edge. A stereotypical 'bimbo' laugh that made her appear more vapid and airheaded, even if she herself actually wasn't. "I could, you know, teach you?"

Jaune's hand tightened around his glass. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm having a seriously shitty day. My friends have been making fun of me, I'm a failure of a Hunter and to top it all off, I lost the number of a serious hottie in the wash, so I'd like to just sit here and drink my sorrows away, if you wouldn't mind!" Jaune finished, burying his head in his arms. He was met with silence, or as close to silence as one could get given the situation. Almost at once, he felt bad. He hadn't meant to be so cruel, but he was in a seriously bad mood. He glanced up, only to notice that the girl had vanished and he sighed, putting his head back onto the table. _Good going…_

 **[...]**

If Jaune was having a bad day, then Neo was having a bad _week_. Not quite the same kind of bad that Jaune had; one rarely made fun of Neo and survived, but more of an ennui filled week. When she wasn't being forced to make one boring, uneventful heist after another for Cinder's need for Dust, she was sitting around at home watching television until she was laying around in her underpants, drooling dumbly until every cooking show, news report and soap opera blended together into a confusing, blurry mess.

She _would_ have been out on the town proper, but Cinder had determined that Neo couldn't be seen in public during daylight for some vague, unknown master plan Cinder had brewing. Neo, unsurprisingly, bristled at this and had even brought her complaints to Roman, but her cigar chewing friend pretty much gave her the excuse to the tune of, "She could turn us into flambe at any moment, so do you _really_ want to get on her bad side?" So a week passed since the cafe and she spent all of her time sitting around when she wasn't out on the town stealing more Dust for their greedy employer.

Worst of all, her cute little blond angel hadn't contacted her! If that wasn't a blow to the ego, she didn't know what was. Had he noticed what she was doing? Had he gotten creeped out or disgusted by her actions? No, that couldn't' have been it, he seemed rather flattered by her. Did that girl of his come around finally and accept him? Knowing her luck, she had, and now Neo's little fantasy was just that, nothing more. It was honestly slightly depressing if Neo was being truthful.

Friday Night rolled around and Neo finally decided she was taking another day off. She'd hit up Juniors and maybe have a little fun screwing with Junior's men. It was always fun to see fully grown men act so terrified of tiny, little old her. From her penthouse suite (she'd only accept the finest accommodations in her life) to the nightclub she traveled. It was bustling that evening, with tons of people from all walks of life. Beacon students to civilians to a few criminals that Neo recognized who made their ways through the underground; all were dancing together to the throbbing, thudding beat.

Hips swaying with every step, Neo's stiletto heels clicked through the nightclub, soaking in appreciative stares. Despite her height, her curves and smirk let everyone around her know that Neo was no child. She had to decide though, drink first, or later? She glanced about the club as she ascertained her plan for the night. As her glance passed over dancing and drinking partygoers, her eyes caught something. Something that had her heart stop momentarily. It was him. Her blond angel. He was alone, with nothing more than a glass full of something in his hands as company. Could this be a second chance? With a smirk that would have had any man a combination of scared and aroused, Neo approached him, making her way across the bar to the lonely little corner.

As she moved closer though, movement caught her eye and a familiar figure stepped into view in front of her. Melanie Malachite. Neo's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the raven haired woman approach Jaune, her own hips swaying in a way that caught the eye of more than a few people. Neo slowly crept closer, keeping an ear out for what she was saying.

"Like, hey! Are you okay?" Neo watched as Jaune lifted his head, and almost winced. If he looked bad before at the cafe, he looked positively miserable here. Much to Neo's delight, he also looked irritated by Melanie's approach, but he did his best to hide it behind a _very_ shaky and insincere smile.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"Why aren't you, like, dancing out there with everyone else?" Melanie kept pressing. Neo's hands clenched. It was seriously tempting to walk over there and impale the little slut with her umbrella blade but- no. Not now. Not here.

"I can't dance." Jaune's tone, loud as it was, also carried a hint of thinly veiled disdain. It seemed that Melanie's company was truly unwanted.

Melanie gave a laugh; a laugh Neo recognized. It was the kind of laugh that she used when she was trying to get some. If she appeared to be some sort of brainless bimbo, it made it easier for her to get some guy to plow her later on. Neo's hands clenched even tighter, her nails digging into her palms. The urge to run the bitch through was seriously becoming quite a siren's song. "I could, you know, teach you?"

Jaune's head snapped up, blue eyes flashing with ill contained anger. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'm having a seriously shitty day. My friends have been making fun of me, I'm a failure of a Hunter and to top it all off, I lost the number of a serious hottie in the wash, so I'd like to just sit here and drink my sorrows away, if you wouldn't mind!" With that, Jaune's head fell back down onto the table. Neo's eyes lit up and at once her anger flew away. _That_ was why he hadn't texted her? So he _did_ want to talk to her! The petite girl quickly made her way by Melanie who had started to approach Jaune, hand outstretched to try to comfort him, although the hungry look in her eyes stated she really only wanted one thing from him.

A tap on her shoulder had the raven haired beauty turn around to find herself looking down at the narrowed eyes of one Neopolitan, whose only action was to point a thumb behind her with the very clear message. _Get out_. Melanie gave a quiet groan of frustration and stormed off to find someone else to ride that night. ' _Dumb slut_.' Neo internally mused before turning back to Jaune. The blond hadn't noticed her, just the absence of Melanie and he gave a sigh, burying his head back onto his arm. Neo smiled. It was time to make a move.

She sat down across from him silently and reached forward, gently grasping one of his hands. Jaune's head snapped up once more in surprise, only for his sapphire eyes to widen almost comedically. "Y-you! What are you-I mean not that I didn't-I mean, I'm sorry, I really wanted to text you but I lost your number in the wash and," Jaune rambled on and on before finally trailing off, head hanging. "...and now I look like a total idiot."

Neo pulled out her scroll and quickly typed something out on it, holding it up for Jaune to see. [ **Relax, hot stuff. Accidents happen! I'm glad you wanted to see me though.** ] Jaune's cheeks went pink, burning with embarrassment at being called 'hot stuff' and the wink that Neo sent his way when he looked up into her mismatched eyes only deepened the blush.

"Y-yeah, I did." He muttered lamely, unable to match her gaze.

Neo giggled silently. Oh he was _delicious_. The urge to jump him right then and there was growing stronger, but she took a deep breath, quelling it. Good things came to those who waited. She wanted him willingly, and she wanted him to want her for more than just her body. She flipped her scroll around and typed something else out, turning it back around for Jaune to see when she was finished. [ **So what's got you so blue, cutie? Don't tell me it's that girl you were depressed about back at the cafe again.** ]

Jaune gave a grimace and took another gulp of his drink. Just by the way the blond boy winced when he swallowed, Neo could tell whatever it was had to have been quite strong. "She's...she's a part of it."

[ **Only a part?** ] Neo's response came moment's later.

"Yeah, it's…" Jaune trailed off and shook his head. "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I really don't want to bore you. I'd just be complaining about myself all night and I don't think I'd make for very good company." As he finished, he took another drink, finishing the glass. His gaze snapped over to the bar as if contemplating getting another.

It was the feeling of Neo's hand over his own that brought his attention back to her as she affixed him with a soft smile that stopped his heart. [ **I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to help, cutie. It's a shame to see someone who had such a beautiful smile before lose it now.** ] Aiding him in whatever problems he was having would be quite the leg up on getting his affection, Neo was sure of it. After all, what kind of problems could a Beacon student of all people have? Having a hard time finding a date? She sure as hell could fix that.

Jaune looked to the side and an expression of deep contemplation washed over him. A minute passed and he turned back to Neo, who was still smiling back at him. His hands began to move. " _Should we take this outside then?_ " Jaune signed out in what Neo recognized as Hunter Sign Language. Her eyes widened, eyebrows almost disappearing into her hairline in surprise.

" _You know sign language?_ " Neo's hands quickly spelled out.

Jaune chuckled, flashing another smile that forced Neo to take a deep breath lest she jump across the table to shove her tongue down his throat. " _My sisters and I used to use it all the time to avoid getting in trouble with our parents. I got quite good at it just from practice._ "

" _Wait, how did you know_ _ **I**_ _knew about sign language?_ "

The blond shrugged, and spoke this time instead of signing. "I figured there had to be a reason you were passing that scroll to me with your messages. I mean, it's loud in here, but not so loud you can't shout to be overheard. It was a lucky guess, honestly. Still, this music is giving me a headache…" Jaune trailed off, frowning up at the bear-headed DJ and the insanely large speakers flanking him.

Neo tapped his hand and when Jaune's gaze focused on her once more, she signed out, " _I'd love to go outside. It's actually quite lovely out. However, if I do, I expect you to tell me about what's troubling you. Deal?_ "

Jaune gave a sigh and a wry smile, nodding. "Deal." With that, he slid the chair out and rose to his feet, walking forward to stand beside Neo. The young woman did the same, smiling up at Jaune and in an act that brought a fresh new blush to Jaune's face, wrapped her arms around one of his, pressing her breasts against him. He couldn't help but smile back, and the two of them made their way out into the cool Valean night air, leaving the dull thumping music behind them.

* * *

 **B/N: You fools! You have angered the beast, and now he's going to write more! In seriousness, I'm really proud of all the writing Lefou's been getting down. It's awesome. Yes, this is going to be an actually extended fic. Prolly going to end up pretty long too, based on the outline Lefou had me look over. This is... gonna be surprisingly serious. Lefou wants to craft a realistic Silent Knight (as ridiculous) as that sounds, and with an angsty angle for Jaune and a... unique version of Neo, this will be a fun ride, but not a happy one. For the most part... they'll be some fluff... and some smut… (** _ **Lefou: Now that's not entirely true. I'm just going to make the two of the work their gams off for their happy ending**_ **.)**

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, another chapter down. This was originally going to be a one-shot as an experiment of I could write Silent Knight smut, but as with all things, it ran away with me. Plus, it got surprisingly popular, surprisingly quick. Yes, no smut this chapter, but not every chapter will have it.**

 **It's a little short, but hey, I don't have a strict limit. So, as much as I like this and will continue it, I do have one issue with this Neo. A lot of people like her, but it's hard to make a Neo that actually isn't absolutely bonkers without being too far from canon. As much as people like to argue against it, canon Neo is a psychopath. She's a sadist at best, and downright murderous at worst. I mean skipping around the bodies of an entire airship's worth of soldiers like she was skipping amidst a field of flowers? Yeah, she's got mental issues. Trying to make a Neo that would actually like Jaune without going for a far more darker, corrupting nature is not an easy task. Hopefully I can balance the two out without making her appear schizophrenic in tone.**

 **Signing off for now, LaughingLefou.**


	3. III

_I do not own RWBY_

 **Innocence**

 **III**

* * *

 _Click, click, click, click_

The footsteps of Neo and Jaune fell into sync as they silently walked away from the club, the music still booming loudly behind them. Jaune, having been used to having sisters shorter than he, had instinctively slowed his pace, allowing Neo to keep up. Said girl hadn't relinquished his arm yet; in fact she'd even tightened her grip almost posessively when they'd walked by a group of girls that Jaune thought he might have recognized from Beacon. Minutes passed in silence, although for once, Jaune felt the silence was almost relaxing. Compared the the deafening racket of the nightclub, the silence of Vale proper was almost a treat to his abused eardrums.

It was the gentle tugging of his hoodie sleeve that brought Jaune out of his own personal reverie back to the situation at hand. Neo looked up at him expectantly, and Jaune had to admit, her eyes were beautiful. One was a soft pink, the other a lovely shade of silver, lighter than Ruby's. The effect was honestly enchanting. "R-right," Jaune began, clearing his throat. "Today." The blond boy sighed and stopped, Neo stopping with him. They had walked about a couple of blocks from Junior's, and were in the shopping district. It was late enough at night that most of the shops had closed, leaving the streets empty of most citizens, save for those who were going home or to party.

Jaune leaned against a brick wall that belonged to a bookstore and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Where to begin...I go to Beacon Academy. I know, I probably don't look the part, right?"

Neo gave a grin and shook her head. " _Appearances can be deceiving._ " Neo signed out, her hands moving quickly, but not too quick as to confuse Jaune.

"Heh, glad you think so. Sadly, what you see is what you get. I'm...oh hell, I'm a joke…" The black mood, having been chased away by Neo's presence, returned as Jaune slid down the wall and sat against the wall.

Neo frowned. She wasn't used to dealing with people like this. In the Valean underground, you showed signs of weakness, and you were through. She thought deeply on her next move. If she wanted Jaune, she had to show she cared. The young woman moved forward and brought a hand forth, gently caressing his face and lifting his head up. She was rewarded with the sight of his blue eyes lighting up and a soft smile gracing his lips, causing her heart to stop momentarily. Externally, she remained calm, but internally she was practically drooling over the heartfelt expression. _It should be illegal to be that cute!_

"Thanks." Jaune replied, the black mood once again leaving, if only temporarily. "Anyway, I've been training to be a Hunter, and while I'm not bad on the theoretical side of things, it's the practical side that's been causing me problems. I'm...I'm terrible at combat. It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic. On top of that, I'm pretty much the butt of everyone's jokes in the school. Only my own team doesn't really make fun of me...as far as I know. My partner treats me like I'm a small child half the time, acting like I'm incapable of taking care of myself and while I know she means well, it's really a kick to the self-confidence, you know?" The blond Huntsman-in-training shook his head and sighed. "Sorry, I'm really not the best kind of company tonight, am I?"

Much to his surprise, however, when he looked up, he noticed that Neo was staring down at him with a smile. " _It's lucky for you, then,_ " Neo began, hands spelling out her message, "that _you ran into me today._ "

Jaune's face contorted in confusion. "Erm, it is? I-I mean, I'm not saying it isn't! I'm glad I saw you!"

Neo silently laughed. " _That's right. You see, I happen to be a Hunter myself._ " That wasn't _exactly_ true, but Neo might as well have been for all intents and purposes. Hell, humans were tougher than Grimm on account of them being able to actually think and plan, at least in Neo's view. " _I might be able to give you a few pointers._ "

"Y-you're a Hunter?!" Jaune exclaimed, jumping to his feet in disbelief. Neo's only reaction was to stare at him silently, cocking a single eyebrow and tapping her foot in a displeased manner. Jaune gave a nervous laugh and waves his hands in front of his face defensively. "W-wait, I didn't mean it like that! I just figured you'd still be in training…"

To that, Neo silently giggled. " _How old do you think I am?_ "

"Erm…"Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Sixteen? Seventeen?"

Neo smirked. " _Try twenty-three._ "

Jaune blanched. "You...I...what?"

Neo's smirk turned wry. " _It's the height, isn't it?_ "

Jaune stammered for a few moments, then hung his head and nodded. "Yeah, it's the height."

" _Don't worry about it. I've been called a lot worse things than short_." Neo shook her head. " _Regardless, I could give you a hand._ "

"I appreciate it, but I feel bad enough with my partner helping me train as it is. The last thing I want is for someone else to be wasting their time on me." Jaune answered.

" _Oh, I wouldn't be doing it for free._ "

Jaune deadpanned and sighed. "Of course…" He murmured under his breath, sinking back into his depression.

Neo's smile only grew as her hands continued with, " _A date wouldn't go amiss, wouldn't you agree?_ "

"I-wait, what?" Jaune tilted his head, eyes widening in disbelief. "You...you want to go out...with me?" He pointed at himself, expression contorting further in confusion.

" _Did I stutter?_ " Neo smirked.

"No-" Jaune started, then stopped and broke out into laughter. "I get it, 'cause you're signing everything and-" He shook his head, "You're kidding me, right? I mean...you're all...and I'm…" He trailed off, grimacing.

" _Absolutely delicious?_ " Neo finished, causing Jaune's cheeks to glow bright red with embarrassment. " _I'm serious. Unless you don't want to-_ "

Neo was unable to finish as Jaune quickly shook his head. "N-no! I'd love to! I'm just surprised…"

" _Tell you what? Why don't I give you my number again, and you can send me a video of your next fight, and from there we can see what you need to work on. Sound good?_ " Neo explained, before placing her hand, palm up to receive Jaune's scroll.

"Sure, just...don't be surprised at how bad I am. I'm not kidding." Jaune looked off to the side, nervously as he handed off his Scroll. Neo's fingers flew across the holographic interface, inputting her number into the Scroll and handed it back to him.

 _How bad could he be?_ Neo internally scoffed.

"So, um…" Jaune started, putting his Scroll away. Neo looked up at him, tilting her head. "Would you be interested in getting some dessert?" The young man tried to play it cool, but internally was sweating bullets. If he played this wrong, it'd spell the end of this new chance of his before it even began. The last thing he wanted to do was annoy her like he had Weiss.

Neo's eyes lit up and she nodded energetically. Jaune felt relief wash over him and he matched her smile. "Awesome. My treat. Luckily you caught me before I spent all my Lien on booze."

The ice-creamed colored girl shook her head back and forth. "Wait huh?" Jaune queried, wondering if he said something wrong.

" _Nonsense. You're a Beacon student, you probably have barely enough to cover cab fare. I'm paying_." Neo signed out, before putting her arms akimbo with an expectant look on her face, as if daring Jaune to disagree with her. It was true, after all; whoever said 'crime doesn't pay,' obviously never lived a life of crime themselves, or at least not successful crime. Dust thefts alone could rake in tens of thousands of Lien. Neo was so well off, she'd been running out of things to spend money on, or at least things that couldn't be traced back to her.

"B-b-but-" Jaune started, but Neo shook her head again.

" _I'm not arguing this. Now come on, the night's still young!_ " Neo grinned and grabbed onto his arm again, and Jaune, with a wry chuckle and a sigh, nodded. Once again, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, with only the clicking of Neo's heels to break it.

 _Click click click click click_

* * *

 **[Vale - Le Bois D'Argent]**

* * *

A little over an hour later found criminal and Huntsman-in-training walking together through the now mostly empty park. Le Bois D'Argent was a fairly well known inner city park, mostly for its silver colored trees that lined the main path, which was being illuminated by the soft glow of streetlamps. Jaune, cone of Rocky Road ice-cream in hand, stopped and lowered himself onto a bench. Neo, surprisingly had gone with a Butterscotch ice cream instead of the Neapolitan that one would most likely assume her to choose. She'd chosen a bowl and spoon, to allow her hands free for communication, although she seemed to prefer to simply listen to Jaune, who'd regaled her with a few tales of his childhood.

Neo would be lying if she said she hadn't felt a pang of jealousy at his tales. He'd grown up with a large, kind and loving family, the opposite of what she'd had. Still, it was rather nice to hear such stories if only to enjoy them vicariously. It helped that he spoke with such joy, his expression lighting up as he explained to her how each of his sisters were in the upper echelons in various governments, media and other such positions. Admittedly, Neo really didn't care about the subject matter, but more the pride with which he spoke. Such heartfelt emotion was something she'd rarely gotten to view in her life. She admired the way that he wore his heart on his sleeve. There was no deception there, no lies. Just a young man who loved his family and wanted to be the best he could.

And like the bowl of slowly melting ice-cream in her hand, Neo ate it up.

"...that's enough about me though." Jaune's voice brought Neo's attention back to the topic at hand. "Sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes. What about you? Do you enjoy being a Hunter? What's your family like?"

Neo looked off to the side and grimaced. She needed to come up with some sort of backstory, and quick. " _Well...I never really grew up with a family,_ " Neo started signing off, figuring that starting off with some truth would be a wise idea.

"I-I'm sorry!" Jaune exclaimed, at once feeling guilty for having spent a good while blathering about his own family. "I didn't know…"

Neo placed a hand on his own and shook her head. " _Look, it's okay. I've had quite a while to get over it. Being a Hunter is…_ " Neo paused in her movements as she tried to quickly come up with a false backstory. " _...It's not bad. Long periods of boredom followed by brief bouts of intense panic and frustration._ " The criminal hoped that her explanation sounded feasible enough.

"I'm not surprised." Jaune answered with a chuckle. "Still though, it's always been a dream of mine, regardless. Did you graduate from Beacon?"

Neo paused, then, " _No. I graduated from Shade and moved here to get away from the hot weather._ "

"Huh." Jaune took a large bite out of his ice cream, getting some of it all over his mouth. "Don't you miss any friends you made from Shade? I mean surely a girl like you must have been quite popular-" Jaune's speech was suddenly cut off, his cheeks going as red as his partner's hair when Neo, in an attempt to derail Jaune's inquisitive train of thought, leaned up and licked the chocolate ice cream from the corner of his mouth. Jaune sat there, frozen, stammering.

 _Jaune Arc has crashed. Reboot? [Y/N]_

Neo laughed hard, wiping an errant tear from her eye. Not only did she manage to get him to stop asking questions, but the look on his face was so priceless that Neo couldn't help but to lift up her scroll and take a photo. She'd set it as her home screen later. Her hand reached out and tugged on his shoulder, managing to shake him out of his stunned state. "I-I-you-bwah?" Jaune shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back into line.

" _Sorry cutie, too much?_ " Neo tilted her head, putting on the most innocent expression she could.

Jaune shook his head again. "N-no! Just wasn't expecting it! I, erm…" He scratched the back of his head. "Where was I?"

" _It's not important. So, Arc, huh? The name sounds familiar._ " Neo signed, steering the topic of conversation back to the young man.

"Oh, well, my great-grandfather was a hero during the Human-Faunus War. If you ever go to Beacon, the statue that sits in front of it is of my great grandfather." Jaune explained, starting to eat the waffle cone.

Neo took a bite of her own now half-melted treat and motioned, " _So you're trying to be a Hunter to follow in his footsteps?_ "

Jaune shrugged. "A little? I just want to _be_ somebody. I come from a family of heroes, everyone around me is so skilled, and here I am, the idiot stuck up in the tree. It's not too selfish to want more out of things is it?"

Shaking her head, Neo's hands presented her response. " _Not at all! You should always want more. Pursuit of happiness and all that. Never be satisfied with what you have._ "

Jaune gave a displeased 'hm' noise. He finished off the cone and slumped on the bench, staring out to the treeline before them. Behind it, a small man-made river flowed, lights sparkling off of it. "I don't think that's true either."

Neo blinked, spoon frozen halfway between the bowl and her petite lips. Jaune continued, talking almost more to himself than to Neo. "Sure, to want more can be a noble thing, but there comes a time when that same pursuit can take from others, and that's not what I want. Shared happiness is what's truly desirable. I want to be someone, and be recognized, sure, but I also want to have the strength to protect the ones I love. To fight for them. To stand beside them."

Jaune got to his feet, Neo's gaze following him. "I am an Arc. A bulwark against the dark. A protector, a guardian...and yet…" Jaune paused and slumped back into his seat. "I can't even defend myself."

Neo put her bowl down. She thought for a few moments, then slowly lifted herself up to head height, with the intention of kissing the boy on the cheek to hopefully bring his spirits up again. What she hadn't expected was for Jaune to move his head toward her at that moment, and in an instant, Neo found herself locking lips with him. Jaune, caught completely unaware, could only freeze up once more, blue eyes widening comically. Neo on the other hand, quickly recovered, and never one to waste an opportunity, pressed herself closer to Jaune. She was rewarded with the feeling of Jaune's hands slowly and hesitantly sliding around the small of her back, pulling her closer, kissing her back. It was a little awkward and clumsy…

But Neo would never forget it.

Neo entangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his face against hers, resting her entire self against Jaune. They separated, just for a brief moment, and then before Jaune could speak, Neo's lips crashed down onto his own again. This time, Jaune felt something probe his lips, and when he opened his mouth, Neo deepened the kiss, her tongue darting in and surprising Jaune even further. Moments passed, but for the two of them, it seemed far longer, until finally, running out of breath, Neo pulled away once more. She kept close, her face inches from his own, arms still around his neck.

"I...Neo…" Jaune breathed, stunned beyond words.

Neo smiled, eyes gleaming in the light of the silvery trees around them. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she was ecstatic. The night was going far better than expected, and much to her delight, Jaune looked like she felt, if perhaps caught off guard. A buzzing in her pocket however, caught her attention and Neo, suddenly feeling positively murderous, disentangled herself from Jaune, practically snarling. She reached into the offending pocket and pulled out her Scroll. Opening it up, (away from Jaune's gaze) she noticed it was from Cinder, and she clenched her teeth. _Oh fuck you, you femme-fatale-wannabe!_

Jaune gave a small chuckle, noting Neo's distress from her body language alone. "Have to go?"

Neo turned around and nodded slowly, looking very apologetic. Jaune scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Well, I've got your number...I promise, you'll hear from me. Tomorrow, in fact, if you'd like?"

The petite criminal nodded vehemently, and hopped off of the bench, dusting herself off. " _Of course! By the way, you're a delightful kisser, although I think you could use some practice. We should work on that._ " Neo signed, bringing a fresh blush to Jaune's cheeks.

"I...I'll hold you to that then." Jaune murmured, feeling a boldness he'd never felt before.

Neo winked and turned on her heel, striding away, allowing her hips to sway with each step. She looked over her shoulder, noticing that the blond boy's eyes were locked right on her and she blew a kiss at him before striding off once more. Her hand gripped the handle of her parasol tightly and her delighted expression slowly morphed into one of irritation as she moved out of sight from Jaune.

She was really starting to hate working for Cinder.

Back at the bench, Jaune sat there, staring, a smile spread over his face. His first kiss. Holy hell, what a kiss it was! Neo was sweet, kind and on top of that, affectionate. A crush it probably was, but Jaune could not deny his attraction. He'd really lucked out, meeting the petite cutie. His black mood was completely gone, leaving behind a giddy joy that he hadn't felt in ages. Best of all, Neo would even help him become a better Hunter! How could he have gotten any luckier?!

Jaune heard another buzz, and noted that this one came from the depths of his hoodie pocket, and he gave a sigh. It was a call.

 _Click_

"Hey, Pyrrha. Sorry about the lack of communication, I just needed a little time to myself. ... Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. ... Sorry. ... Yeah. ... No, I'm not drunk, promise. Maybe slightly tipsy. No, Pyrrha, you don't have to come down…" He sighed and closed the scroll. Pyrrha was a wonderful partner, but sometimes...he chuckled and shook his head, getting up from the bench.

 _Should I tell them about..._ Jaune shook his head. _Nah. It'd only be a matter of time before Yang found out, and I'd never hear the end of the teasing. I'll keep Neo a secret for now._ With that, the blond Huntsman-in-Training began to whistle tunelessly, starting to walk back to the Bullhead Landing Zone to meet up with Pyrrha before she began a city-wide manhunt for him…

* * *

 **B/N: D'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW**

 **A/N: Ye gods, so much fluff! I need to write some action scenes to make up for this. I'm severely lacking in machismo. Hopefully you all enjoy though.**


	4. IV

_I do not own RWBY_

 **Innocence**

 **Chapter IV**

* * *

 _Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock_

Neo wondered if it was a sign that she was starting to lose her grip on reality that among her many fantasies she had, one of her biggest was ripping the cheap, single Lien clock off the wall of the combination safe-house/warehouse and stomping on it with her stiletto heels until the crunch of glass and plastic shards sounded more like sand than a cohesive whole. Her fantasies usually involved piles of Lien chips, fancy clothing, the lamentations of her enemies, and more recently, a certain blond angel doing things involving his mouth and her nether regions. The ice-cream themed girl sighed silently and placed her head atop her hand, resting her elbow on the cheap little card table sitting to one side of the warehouse.

It'd been two days since the date between her and Jaune. Cinder had recalled her back for an 'emergency meeting' which involved her pretty much threatening Roman for having failed at a robbery. According to him, a couple of Faunus had thrown a wrench into the theft of SDC cargo at the docks, and to make things even worse, that damn Ruby Rose showed up with some new girl and increased tensions between Cinder and the White Fang after a number of the latter had been placed under arrest. Luckily, Roman managed to get out of it with little more than the usual 'don't fail me again.' Neo was two seconds away from attempting to run the bitch through, but Roman had kept her back.

She was reminded shortly thereafter of why she stuck around Roman. After that, he'd bought her some more ice cream and the two of them hung out at their safehouse making fun of Cinder behind her back. Even Roman was starting to view her as a joke what with her almost stereotypical mannerisms. If it hadn't been for her strange powers that neither one of them could decipher, she'd have been tossed to the curb ages ago. Sadly, her strength, and the cunning of her two underlings kept Neo and Roman from revolting. More to the point, Roman _had_ been making more Lien as of late, so he figured there was no point to rocking the boat _yet_.

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end, and it wasn't more than a couple of days later that Neo found herself tasked with the undesirable job of essentially babysitting Junior's men. Luckily for them, her mood was better than usual, what with Jaune having texted her as he said he would the following day. They'd mostly small talked, Jaune complaining about how he hated being stuck in a boring class, and Neo commiserating with him, coming up with a random story only loosely based on her working with Cinder. Still, she wasn't going to let the black suited men off so easily. Her eyes flickered to the side, only to notice one of them having placed his crate of Dust that he'd been hauling around on the floor, resting against the side of the wall.

 _Click click click click_

If he'd been paying attention, the sound of Neo's stiletto heels clicking on the cement floor of the warehouse would have clued him into her arrival, but he was too tired from hauling the crates of Dust around. He wiped his brow, giving himself a bit of a break as the rest of his comrades rushed back and forth. There was silence for a few moments, then-

 _ **WHACK!**_

With a cry of pain, the man fell to his knees as something painfully slammed into the backs of his legs. The suited man clenched his teeth, drawing up an epithet of more than likely epic proportions, when Neo's figure swayed into view, a look in her eyes almost daring him to finish it. Instead, the thug swallowed and shakily got to his feet, his expression morphing into one of terror. The sound of ringing steel had him frozen in place, and the tip of Neo's parasol blade pressed into his throat just enough to be terrifyingly uncomfortable. A bit more pressure was added, and a small drop of crimson flowed down the man's throat and down onto his chest. He shook in place as Neo's expression grew into a terrifyingly cruel smirk.

There was a muted buzzing sound and Neo casually pulled the scroll out of her pocket, keeping the blade of the parasol right where it was, leaving the thug frozen in an uncomfortable position, although he was too terrified of incurring Neo's wrath to move. Neo's cruel smile fell, and her multicolored eyes widened. The blade was quickly dropped and sheathed, and her other hand waved him away, suddenly dismissing him. Whatever was on the scroll was obviously more important than punishing him, and the thug silently thanked whatever deity had been watching as he picked up the heavy metal Dust crate and rushed off as fast as he possibly could.

Neo had already forgotten about the random thug, her concentration now fully set upon the scroll. She practically skipped back to her little makeshift table and chairs of various sized crates and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and opening up the scroll with the air of a child at Christmas.

[ **ArcAngel: Hey Neo. :)** ]

Neo smiled to herself, fingers flying over the holographic keyboard with the practised ease of many, many messages.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Hey, hot stuff. How's my favorite Huntsman in training?** ]

The sweet treat-themed girl giggled to herself silently. She could just imagine the look of embarrassment on his face when he read that. She waited a few moments, knowing the poor boy was all kinds of flustered.

[ **ArcAngel: I'm fine. Just got done with Combat Class. My teammates kept wondering why I was filming it, but I just told them I was going to review it myself. Not that I don't want to be seen with you or anything! Someone on our sister team wouldn't let me ever hear the end of it if she found it I got a girlfriend.** ]

Neo blinked and nodded to herself. That was honestly a smart move on his part. She would prefer that their relationship be kept a secret for now. Sure, she was, for the most part, not on any wanted lists that would know what she looked like, but she wanted to play it safe.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Perfectly fine, sweetie. Honestly, I'm not much one for public appearances anyway. So let's take a look at that combat video, then, shall we? I hope you got all nice and sweaty~ ;)** ]

Once again, Neo found herself silently giggling, her gaze glancing about the room. Not that she cared about any of Junior's men seeing her acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl; none of them had the balls to say anything to her face. All of them were too busy working though, to pay her any mind. That was good; the faster they got the job done, the better. She had better things to do than to babysit a bunch of brainless idiots who thought that working for the Triad was a good idea.

[ **ArcAngel: Come on, now you're just teasing me!** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Only because I like you so much~** ]

Neo licked her lips. She knew it was terrible, but her mind kept resorting to lewd fantasies involving the cute blond boy. Of course she wanted him for more than just a quick fuck, but the joy of such activities with him would be indescribable. A part of her wondered just how he'd react if she were to say, send him a particularly racy picture. She shook her head. She didn't want to be too aggressive. It might frighten the poor boy off. She could tell at a glance he was still a virgin, which meant he was hers to mold and shape when it came to the bedroom, but she had to be patient.

[ **Video Incoming. Accept? Y/N** ]

Neo hit the affirmative and the video downloaded. The bright side of being so close to Beacon Academy was that the CCT was located within spitting distance of Vale, and the signal to all scrolls was as clear as you could get. The video was uploaded within minutes. With a purse of her lips, Neo sat back and hit play on the video. From what she could see, Jaune had propped his Scroll up on the desk, which gave a perfect angle for the arena. It was Jaune versus some brown haired idiot who looked like one of Junior's thugs. She scoffed and watched…

And watched…

And as she watched, her expression slowly fell until she was more grimacing than anything else. _Oh no. Oh no no. Oh dear…_ When he said he was bad, he _wasn't_ kidding. This wasn't simply 'bad' in the sense that he wasn't good in combat class. This was 'parents held me back because they were afraid I'd get myself hurt,' bad. Neo absentmindedly bit at one of her nails and frowned. For the briefest of moments, she wondered if the boy would be even worth the trouble-

 _A warm embrace. A surprised kiss. Awkward, yet full of emotion, his blond hair backlit by the silver glow of the streetlamps reflecting off of the silvery trees surrounding them. A smile so soft and heartfelt, without an ounce of deception behind it. He cared. He didn't see a criminal, or some lowlife. He saw a beautiful, kind girl, worthy of affection._

Neo sighed. Yeah... he was worth it. A guy like him only came around every so often, and she was damned if she missed her chance to be with him. Her lips turned upward in a wry smile. It was almost embarrassing how easily he was able to win her over with a single, accidental even, kiss. A kiss that _she'd_ started. Such was life. Her attention turned back to the scroll in her hands and her frown returned. The problem was how she could help him. Their fighting styles (if his flailing and cowering could even be _called_ a style) were just too different. She prefered to be nimble and quick, wearing her opponents down through misdirection before finishing them off with her hidden blade. A sword and board style though? She could give him some pointers about footwork, but that was as far as it went.

She thought and thought, staring down at the scroll in her hands.

"U-uh, M-ms. Neo?"

Multi-colored eyes snap up, and the black suited man ( _the same one as before?_ Neo couldn't tell the difference, nor could she be bothered to.) flinched as though struck. She slowly cocked an eyebrow as the man nearly twice her size trembled like a leaf in the wind.

"W-we've...ahem...we've packed the D-dust. It-it's all ready to be s-shipped."

Neo rolled her eyes and waved him away with one hand, the thug giving a sigh of relief as he rushed off as though the Devil himself were on his heels. She shook her head. Good god, Junior's thugs were such trash. Junior at least had his uses, and he wasn't a complete pushover, which she supposed was why Roman and herself did business with him. He was great for information, booze and-

The Pit.

She snapped her fingers. That was it! She might not be able to teach Jaune much, but The Pit would certainly make a fighter out of him, assuming he had the willpower to stick with it. A light frown turned her lips down at the corners. Hopefully he didn't mind a bit of light illegal activity. She always thought it was stupid that the underground fighting ring was considered illegal, but then again, she supposed the Valian Council probably hated the thought of Hunters fighting without their express permission. Even more stupid was the fact that despite the people who participated in the fights weren't themselves on the up and up, the fights themselves were regulated with even more strict guidelines than the actual televised fights. Regardless, compared to the criminal activity she herself got into, fighting in The Pit was like stealing a pack of gum; barely a blip on the radar.

Her fingers flew across the Scroll's keyboard yet again, only pausing to check her spelling and to make sure she'd worded everything correctly before hitting Send.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Okay, hot stuff. Here's the deal. I'm going to be completely blunt with you.** ]

She waited, the response appearing with satisfyingly quick timing.

[ **ArcAngel: Go ahead. I'm sure I've probably heard worse from my friends, in all honesty.** ]

Neo cocked an eyebrow at that. Weren't friends supposed to be, you know, _supportive_? Seemed a little odd that they'd mock him for being bad at fighting. She shook her head. It was besides the point.

[ **LaceAndSteel: You're bad. Like** _ **really**_ **bad. You weren't kidding. However, you're not up the river without a paddle yet. I've got a couple of ways I can help you. One would just be some help with your footwork; nothing fancy. Your way of combat and mine are just too different for me to be of any advanced help. The other way is...a bit of a moral gray area.** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Wouldn't be my first time doing something along those lines…** ]

Neo blinked. What did he mean by that? Was her innocent blond angel actually not-so-innocent? She frowned deeply.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Oh? Do tell.** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Promise not to tell anyone? The only other person who knows this is my partner.** ]

Neo had to bite her tongue to keep from smiling at that, noticing that some of Junior's thugs were still loitering about, no doubt waiting for Roman to come back to tell them where they'd be shipping the stolen Dust.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Of course! I won't tell a soul.** ]

There was a pause. For a few moments, Neo wondered if perhaps he'd chickened out, wondering what someone like him could have done that would have had him so nervous. She couldn't see him actually killing anyone. Theft, perhaps? Did he used to use drugs? Knock a girl up? She chewed absentmindedly on her pinky nail, watching the scroll screen closely.

[ **ArcAngel: I...I never went to a combat school. I got into Beacon through forged transcripts.** ]

If there was ever a moment in her life in which she needed an awkward duck quack noise ready to be played on cue, it was then. _That_ was his dark secret? Neo rolled her eyes and laughed silently. It was honestly adorable. Forged transcripts? Seriously? It wasn't like he was coasting either; he was actively _trying_ to become better. Even when he'd done something remotely illegal, he'd done it with the best of intentions. She grinned and typed out her message.

[ **LaceAndSteel: So? That's nothing. Though, if you're willing to do that, my idea won't be any worse. Hell, it might even be less illegal, thinking on it.** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Really? What is it?** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Ever hear of The Pit?** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Can't say that I have.** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: It's an underground elite fighting arena. It's** _ **technically**_ **illegal, but only because the Vale Council are a bunch of whiners. You could learn a LOT there, and quickly too. There are some really top notch fighters who combat down there, and if you get good enough, you could make a killing in Lien too. I won't lie though; someone like yourself will get absolutely thrashed for your first few rounds. Stick with it though, pay attention to how you lost, and listen to advice from anyone who gives it, and you'll be the toast of Beacon Academy by the end of the year, or I'll eat my partner's hat.** ]

Not really. Roman loved that hat more than life itself. Regardless, she was certain she got her point across. The Pit would make or break him.

 _And best of all, after a night of getting the crap kicked out of him, he'll need some comfort, and who better to give it to him than his new girlfriend?_ Neo grinned to herself wriggling in place in excitement in anticipation of long nights spent cuddled up to him.

Her scroll buzzed.

[ **ArcAngel: Will it cost me anything?** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Not so much as a Lien. All you need is someone to act as your handler, and that's where I come in.** ]

There was a few minutes with no response. Then:

[ **ArcAngel: Okay. I'll have to come up with something to tell my team though.** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Of course. Just say you've got a part time job. By the time you get back, they'll probably all be asleep anyway, or at least should be, so no one will see you if you get battered and bruised a bit, and when you start making money, they won't need to worry where it came from.** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Okay. I'll do it. If you really think it can help me that much, then I'll give it a shot. I'll have to borrow some weapons from the school though; my family crest is all over my shield. I don't want a bunch of people seeing an Arc in an underground fighting ring.** ]

Neo grimaced. Borrowed school weapons? That wouldn't do. They would be of inferior quality and shoddy craftsmanship.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Nope. I've decided. I'm taking my payment a little early. Are you free this Friday?** ]

More pause.

[ **ArcAngel: Yeah, I am**.]

Neo grinned. Perfect.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Good. We're going out then. We're gonna pick you a nice weapon to go fighting with, and I'm not going to hear otherwise. Capice?** ]

[ **ArcAngel: I don't know what I did to earn a girl like you, Neo, but I've really got to do it more often. You're too sweet.** ]

Neo inwardly squeed. Everything was falling into place. She kicked her legs into the air as she clasped the scroll to her chest, grinning from ear to ear. It was settled. Their first official date was set, and Jaune already seemed to be immensely fond of her.

Meanwhile, Junior's men could only stand and stare, fixing each other with _very_ confused and worried looks. If something could make the terrifying demon known as Neopolitan _that_ happy, then it had to be something terrible. They shivered and averted their gazes as the young woman clasped her scroll closely, kicking her legs happily. They might have been criminals, but even they had standards, and they weren't getting anywhere _close_ to that…

* * *

 **(EDIT: Fixed the little continunity error. I didn't even think of that until some of you guys pointed it out. I am literally made of derp.)**

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it, another chapter down. Setting up some future events and such. Join us next time when we see things from JNPR and RWBY's side, and we join our Silent Knight duo on their first 'official' date. My beta won't get off my back for make outs, and I'm sure some of you would love to see more erotica, but as Neo has figured, "Good things come to those who wait."**

 **Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou.**

 **(P.S. Is it bad form to make your own TVTropes page?)**

* * *

 **B/N: I was teasing, you dick. Anyway, short chapter here, but Lefou's juices have been flowing, so who am I to complain.**

 **(P.S. Yes. Yes it is.)**


	5. V

**Innocence**

 **Chapter V**

* * *

If Weiss didn't know any better, she'd swear that Jaune Arc had been replaced with an entirely different person since she'd finally managed to get together with Neptune. She'd expected him to be upset about the whole thing. And he had been depressed…for all of a few days. Then one day he comes back, grinning from ear to ear and whistling happily. It irritated her that not a single member of his team seemed to care about Jaune's sudden and abrupt change in mood, and were instead more concerned with celebrating it. It was enough to make Weiss facepalm.

She knew that Pyrrha had feelings for Jaune, but to simply ignore such a shift in emotion so suddenly was _not_ a good thing. Still, Weiss wasn't going to rock the boat. For one thing, Jaune had completely and utterly stopped trying to flirt with her. In fact, now that Weiss gave it more thought, he'd really stopped speaking to her in general. It was almost a bit depressing now that she thought about it. It was about halfway through the year, shortly after the Beacon Dance and while the relationship between her and Jaune wasn't the _best,_ she'd did hope that his helping her and Neptune get together was a fresh start. She didn't want to date him, but it wasn't as though she didn't want to become his friend. This was going a bit _too_ far in the other direction.

Weiss sighed and tapped her pencil on the wooden desk before her, Port droning on. At this point, the Professor was going on about something entirely inconsequential to her education, so she felt safe in tuning him out. Her gaze flitted about the room. Next to her, her partner was doodling in the margins of her sloppily written notebook, the notes only halfway finished. Weiss rolled her eyes slightly at it. More than likely Ruby would be begging to complete her notes based off of Weiss'. At this point, Weiss had gotten used to it, complaining far less about it than at the beginning of the year. The rest of her team wasn't doing any better either. Blake was doing her best to remain awake, something Weiss could sympathise with, and Yang had already given up, sleeping and drooling all over her desk.

Her attention then shifted to RWBY's sister team, JNPR. Nora was busy trying to balance a pencil on her nose while Ren, unsurprisingly, was diligently taking notes. Next to him, Pyrrha was also taking notes, her attention entirely focused on Port. Weiss smiled. Pyrrha was a model student, just like she was. She then found her gaze on Jaune who was busy messing around on his scroll. Weiss wouldn't have given him a second glance, dismissing him as busy playing some sort of scroll game, but something struck her as odd.

His smile.

Upon closer inspection, Weiss could see a tinge of pink on his cheeks, as though someone had texted him something embarrassing. Normally Weiss would have accused Yang of screwing with Jaune just to get a reaction out of him, something the buxom blond was fond of doing, but Yang was asleep. In fact, no one she could suspect of having messaged Jaune was on their scrolls, so who was getting that kind of reaction out of him? Curiosity warred with indifference within the Schnee's mind. Had Arc found someone else? Someone outside of Beacon? Weiss' frown deepened. Jaune hadn't mentioned finding anyone else, and she was certain that if he did, he'd have been proclaiming it to the heavens. Unless he'd decided that subtlety was the correct course of action to avoid Yang's unavoidable teasing, but even so, she figured he'd have at least told his partner.

Pyrrha though, seemed just as chipper as usual, so obviously he hadn't told her if he had found someone else. Perhaps someone in his family had been teasing him? Jaune was easy to embarrass, as she'd found out simply by being around the blonde blunder for so long. She shook her head. It wasn't like her to be so concerned with whatever it was Jaune was thinking or involved in. She turned her attention back to the front of the classroom, only to catch the last remaining words of Professor Port as his lecture _finally_ died down. "...and your homework will be a two page essay on the differences between the arctic and forest breeds of Beowolves and the key discrepancies in defeating both. Now, I know there's still about six months until the Vytal Tournament, but I'd like all of you to keep that in the back of your minds. Consider anti-Hunter tactics. Humans are capable of thought that Grimm are not, but can also be fooled in different manners. Consider that a sort of...ahem, all year project for this class. Class dismissed!"

Everyone got up and began to shuffle out of the room, Ruby stretching and yawning before blowing a raspberry. "Maaan, why do we have homework in Port's class too?"

Weiss shook her head. "The sooner you get it over with, the better."

"I know…" Ruby muttered, slumping forward. "At least someone's happy about it."

"Hm?" Weiss followed her partner's gaze toward Jaune, who had just gotten out of his own seat, chatting amicably with his own partner, a smile on his face. "Strange. If anyone would hate homework, it'd be Jaune. Wonder what he's happy about?"

"Let's ask!" Ruby popped up out of her own seat and immediately began to make her way toward team JNPR.

"Ruby! Don't just go- Ruby!" Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. With a groan, she began to follow her partner who seemed to be ignoring her complaints. She might as well listen in, if only to satiate her curiosity and put it out of her thoughts.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed as she approached her fellow team leader, grabbing his attention.

"Oh, hey Rubes. What's up?" Jaune queried.

"Not much. Sucks about the homework thing though." Ruby groaned.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the homework. I'll…" Jaune trailed off, lips drawing into a thin line for a few moments before speaking again. "It's not due until Port's next class, so I've got a couple of days to get to it."

"Why not do it today, Jaune?" Pyrrha gently reminded him.

"Yeah, got a date or something, Vomit Boy?" Yang's teasing voice spoke up from nearby as the remaining two members of RWBY approached.

Jaune almost choked, sputtering with his cheeks red. However, in an odd twist to things, instead of continuing to sputter and blush and generally make a fool out of himself, he managed to quickly calm himself, taking a breath and making himself relax. "No…'sides, who'd want to date me anyway?" It was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to burst out laughing. Obviously the petite cutie known as Neo did, but they didn't need to know about her yet. With his back to his partner, he didn't notice the frustrated bite of her lower lip, nor the wringing of her hands. To everybody else, it was exasperating, to say the least.

Yang cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what's so important that you can't do your homework, hm?"

Jaune hesitated, then after a moment's pause, spoke. "Well...I've...got a job interview?"

His admittance was met with a sea of dumbfounded faces and silence, quickly making him feel even more uncomfortably awkward than he usually was. The silence was finally broken by Ruby, whose large silver eyes looked worried all of the sudden. "You...you're not...leaving Beacon, are you?"

"Wha-no! No, nonono!" Jaune waved his hands in front of his face, shaking his head. "It's just a part time thing! It's…" Jaune trailed off again as he tried to remember the cover story that he and Neo had worked on not moments ago via Scroll. "It's just a labor job at the docks, you know, loading and unloading freight for ships and all?"

"Oooh!" Ruby answered. "Wait, but why?"

Jaune shrugged. "It'd be nice to have a little extra pocket change? Plus, when summer rolls around, I'm actually planning on staying in Vale instead of heading home, so I figure I could save up and get myself a decent apartment for the time." This much was true, but he didn't want to go any deeper in that; down that road lay a conversation about his relationship with his parents, and the less said about that, the better.

"That's...admirable." Pyrrha murmured, the uneasy expression on her face only mitigating slightly.

"O-oh, don't worry Pyrrha. It's only every other day; coincidentally it won't interfere with our training schedule." Jaune quickly added, assuming that was the cause for her concern.

He must have been correct, for the trepidation that was mounting on her face abated all at once, and Pyrrha was all smiles again. "Wonderful."

"Your interview is today?"

Jaune turned around in surprise to the speaker. Weiss had spoken up, the expression on _her_ face unreadable. "Um...y-yeah."

Weiss seemed to quietly think to herself for a few seconds before nodding more to herself than anyone else. "Alright. I'll come with you."

Jaune, as well as everyone else, blinked in confusion. "What." Jaune queried flatly.

"Well, I figure I could help your chances of acquiring this job if someone with my reputation can vouch for you." Weiss replied.

"Wow, Weiss-cream, that's awfully nice of you." Yang teased.

Weiss scoffed. "What? I can't be nice?" She sniffed and her cheeks turned slightly pink, her gaze refusing to meet Jaune's. "Jaune was nice enough to help Neptune and I get together despite our...previous interactions. The least I can do for him is help him out in return."

A tinge of panic set in and Jaune's mind raced. If Weiss joined him, then surely she'd uncover his deception, and once she knew of his actual intentions, it'd only be a matter of time before news got back to Yang, and then...he shuddered. Yang would tease him for eternity, and chances are, destroy any chance he had with Neo, albeit unintentionally. Thinking fast, Jaune spoke up. "I-I appreciate it, Weiss, but y-you don't have to."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with me wanting to help?"

"N-no, it's just…" Jaune paused, then continued, "...I want to get this job on my own terms? I-I'd feel like I had an unfair advantage and it's kind of a matter of pride that I get this on my own…"

Jaune began to feel hot under his collar as Weiss stared him down for a few moments. Finally she sighed and shrugged. "Fine. I offered." With that, the heiress turned on her heel and strode away. With a grimace, Jaune turned back to Ruby, who simply shrugged as if to say, 'What can you say?'

Yang blew a raspberry. "Ugh. That's way more boring than I was hoping. Well, for what it's worth, I hope you get the job. Best of luck to you, Vomit Boy." Yang turned and walked off herself, Blake silently following suit.

Ruby was the last to leave, who simply smiled at Jaune from ear to ear. "Knock 'em dead, Jaune! Er, but like...not actually dead." Ruby trailed off awkwardly.

Jaune just laughed and shook his head. "Thanks." Jaune watched as the miniature reaper quickly caught up with the rest of her team leaving Port's classroom, falling silent. It was Pyrrha, however, who broke the silence.

"Not that I've a problem with you having a job, Jaune," Pyrrha brought up, "But why didn't you tell us?"

Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head as he turned to face his own team. "Sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise?"

"Well, I think having a good work ethic is an admirable trait," Ren explained.

"Heck yeah! Ooh, and Jaune can buy us lunch!" Nora added, grinning.

"H-hey! Come on!" Jaune stammered. Sure, he'd be making money once (or if) he started to win in The Pit, but he didn't want Nora devouring his Lien. Besides…

He wanted to spoil Neo too.

 **[Team JNPR Dorm Room]**

It wasn't until he was standing before the full length mirror in the team JNPR bathroom that Jaune Arc was struck with a sudden attack of nerves. Everything, from his appearance to his clothes were overanalyzed. Did he smell good enough? Was his hair combed just right? Was he too casual? Too formal? If he dressed too nicely, it'd make him look like an idiot, but if he simply just went in his usual Pumpkin Pete™ brand hoodie and jeans, it'd make it look like he didn't care about the date. He opened his scroll to check the time for the one thousandth time that hour. He still had a good three hours before he was to meet Neo down at the Bullhead Landing Zone, but time seemed to ebb and flow. It was somehow running too quickly, and yet not quickly enough.

 _Snap out of it, you idiot! She's already kissed you, and she knows how pathetic you are in combat! This isn't like Beacon Academy, she likes you for you, not for how well you can swing your sword! Hell, she's going to help you swing your sword better- okay, poor choice of words._ Jaune continued to mentally try and pump himself up.

"Nervous?" A voice spoke up behind, and to the left of him, causing him to jump with a shock. He whirled on his heel to see Pyrrha smiling at him.

"Huh?" He muttered dumbly, his brain trying to catch up to current situation.

"About the interview?" Pyrrha reminded, stifling a giggle behind her hand.

"Hu-OH! Y-yeah, the interview." Jaune looked back into the mirror and straightened his shirt. "I'm not...I'm dressed well, right?" The young man was dressed in a simple button down shirt that he'd remembered to bring from home, as well as the best pair of jeans he had.

"You look good, Jaune." Pyrrha came up behind him and began to straighten his collar, smoothing it out. "Just be yourself and don't let nerves get the best of you."

Jaune exhaled slowly. "R-right. I can do this." He'd already almost had a first date with Neo, this was just an official thing. They'd probably go out, get some food, see a movie and then…

The weapon.

Neo had mentioned wanting to get him a good weapon for the Pit, but he still didn't feel comfortable with that much money being spent on him by a stranger. He'd actually looked at how much a good weapon cost, even one as simple as his own, and it was a small fortune. That wasn't even including thing such as Dust mechanisms, shifting weapons and any other fancy accoutrements. Still, she didn't give him much leeway. It was even stranger because they hadn't known each other that long, and yet here she was, offering to buy him something as expensive as a new blade.

 _Heh. Guess now I have a sugar momma._ Jaune wryly smiled to himself.

"...Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice cut through the haze of his own thoughts, bringing him back to Remnant.

"O-oh, sorry! I was just...lost in thought. What did you say?"

Pyrrha smiled softly. "I was saying, I can accompany you if you'd like. Y-you know, to make sure you don't get lost or anything?"

Jaune froze. "Ah-heh, y-y-you don't have to do that!" The young man stammered nervously. "I'll be fine, Pyrrha, really! B-besides, don't you've got enough work on your plate?"

"Jaune, you know that I'll always make time for you." Pyrrha murmured with a small smile.

"R-really, Pyrrha, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine! I-in fact, I think I'm going to leave soon, just t-to make sure I've got plenty of time to find the place!" Jaune began to inch his way toward the door as he spoke, Pyrrha cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Pyrrha, I'll probably be late, don't-wait-up-for-me!" With that last rushed glut of words, Jaune quickly ducked out behind the door, shutting it behind him.

Pyrrha gave a sigh and shook her head, staring at the closed door. After a few moments, she smiled softly to herself and tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. She looked over and noticed that Jaune's hoodie was still left on the bathroom counter where he'd tossed it after dressing himself, and with a blush that turned her cheeks nearly as red as her hair, picked up, and sniffed it. She smiled, and, with one last look out into the dorm to make sure no one else was around, proceeded to shuffle into the now vacated hoodie…

 **[Vale - Bullhead Landing Zone]**

Jaune was thankful for two things. The first, was that he'd no longer had to worry about throwing up from nerves, because his stomach had been emptied during the flight from Beacon to Vale proper. The second, was that none of his sick had gotten on his clothes, so he still looked presentable. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing a stick of gum from it and popping it into his mouth, the minty freshness quickly replacing the disgusting taste of vomit from his mouth. As soon as the rotors of the bullhead had stopped, Jaune was already on his feet. He looked at himself one more time using the windows reflection, and realizing that he wasn't going to look any better than he did then, made his way to the door. On the way, he checked his scroll. The time was perfect. He'd gotten there early.

With a hiss, the door opened up and the stairs lowered, Jaune stepping down onto the tarmac. As usual, there were a group of people shuffling and moving about, some loading containers into the Bullheads. Supplies for Beacon, most likely. Jaune took a deep breath to try and calm himself. He was so worried about messing things up; someone like Neo didn't come around every day, and he wanted to impress her. If he couldn't do it on the battlefield, then maybe he could impress her out on the streets. _Alright, so we agreed on a movie and dinner before the whole weapon shopping thing. What kind of food would Neo even like? She dresses fancy, so something high-end-no, wait. She seems largely unconcerned as far as Lien goes so...yeah...that place would do. I'd just have to convince her that despite its appearance, the food is top-notch. 'Cause, you know, it is._ Something poked his elbow. It took a couple of pokes to grab his attention, but when it did, Jaune turned on his heel-

Only to be met with a sight that took his breath away. He wasn't exactly sure what it was that had changed in her appearance since the last time they met, but standing there, one arm on her hip and a smirk on her lips, looking absolutely radiant, was Neo. " _Hey there, hot stuff._ " Neo signed, her smirk only growing. Jaune's jaw had fallen open and he struggled to find words. She was wearing her previous outfit, but there was something to her...maybe it was the expertly chosen make-up, just enough to enhance her already cute features. Maybe it was that she'd had her hair perfectly coiffed down to the every last hair. Whatever it was, Jaune found himself unable to look away. However, if he was at all worried about staring, his fears were groundless. Neo's expression became quite pleased and she stepped in closer. " _Speechless, are you? Well, that's fine, your mouth might have other things to be doing tonight anyway._ " Neo had meant it as a partial joke, but Jaune had been so caught off guard that he accidentally inhaled the gum he'd been chewing, and he suddenly began to cough hard. The petite young woman's eyes widened and she started to move to help clear his airway, but Jaune waved her off, managing to swallow the gum instead. " _Whoops, sorry hot stuff. You okay?_ "

Jaune grinned weakly and flashed her a thumbs up. "Y-yeah. Sorry 'bout that, just kinda caught me off guard, is all. You...you look nice." _She looks nice? That's the best you've got?!_ "R-radiant even!" Jaune added quickly. _Oh, nice one idiot. You're sure to impress her at this-_

Jaune's self-depreciating train of thought was ground to a halt though, upon seeing Neo giggling silently behind her hand. " _And you look good enough to eat._ " Neo signed back, winking playfully. " _Come on, cutie. I've got you all night, and I plan to make the most of it._ " With that, Neo grabbed ahold of his arm, holding tightly onto it. Jaune couldn't help but smile and nodded.

"You've got that right. So, did you have any movie in mind that you wanted to see?" Jaune queried. Neo's only response was to shake her head and cling to him tighter and Jaune's smile only grew. "Well, there's a showing going on in an hour for the latest Spruce Willis movie…" Neo nodded her agreement, and the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence as their night began…

* * *

 **B/N: Lol, Lefou thinks a month or two is a long time to wait. You should check when I last updated 'Intensive Counseling'.**

 **Weiss gets nosey, and starts meddling. Pyrrha's always willing to make time for Jaune.**

 **Goooooood shit.**

* * *

 **A/N: *Hand breaks from the ground before a tombstone that reads "LaughingLefou"**

 **I LIIIIIIIIIVE!**

 **Okay, so I know I haven't updated anything in ages, and I've got multiple reasons for doing so. I won't get into them here, check out my profile for more details. Hope this will tide some of you over. Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou.**


	6. VI

**Innocence**

 **VI**

* * *

It took every ounce of willpower he had not to laugh.

On one hand, he couldn't blame the poor cashier at the box office when he saw Jaune and his diminutive date clutching his arm like she had the entire way there. Neo was short, and if one happened to simply glance at her, as the aforementioned cashier did, it was easy to mistake her for a child. The death glare that Neo responded with, however, was chilling enough to freeze even Jaune in place. It was hard for Jaune to see the petite young woman as a fully fledged Huntress, but then again, he was surrounded by attractive young Huntresses on a daily basis, so it really shouldn't have been. After Jaune had managed to quickly smooth things over, Neo purchased the tickets and the two of them made their way into the lobby proper. Being a weekday, it was fairly empty, even as late as it was, which was something Jaune was thankful for. In the event that he screwed things up, it would mean less people to see his cock-up.

 _No! I have to think positive!_ Jaune mentally shook himself. He looked down at his diminutive companion, still holding onto his arm in an almost possessive manner. The position was a tad awkward, not because of the difference in height, but because Neo, whether not knowing, not caring, or purposefully was holding his arm against her chest, a very pleasant reminder of how soft she was. She looked up, catching his eye, and gave him a delightful smirk that had Jaune's heart stop momentarily. It was confident, and more to the point, a sign that she wanted him. It gave his ego a boost, that was for sure. "Ugh," Jaune began, making a show of things. "Can you believe the price of popcorn in these places? For that price, I'd hope the bucket was solid gold."

Neo, almost reluctantly, removed her arms from his own to sign her response. ' _Not only that, but do you have any idea the conditions that stuff is in? I've got at least two stories of some pimple faced lunatic who decided to jerk off in that stuff._ '

Jaune's expression turned slightly ill. "Right. Never eating movie theater popcorn ever again."

Neo silently laughed and grabbed his arm again, pulling him in close once more. The two of them made their way to the ticket taker, a young man who might have been even younger than Jaune, and who did little to mask the jealousy he must have felt upon seeing Jaune with someone as attractive as Neo. This only seemed to please Neo, whose joyful smirk seemed to only grow bigger and more smug, and her arms hugged onto Jaune's arm even moreso. Jaune just blushed and handed the tickets over, trying to ignore the soft feeling on his other arm. The tickets were torn and practically shoved back into Jaune's face, but Jaune was too ecstatic to even notice the boy's rudeness and instead simply walked Neo past the ticket counter and to the theater proper.

The two made their way into the theater itself, with rows upon rows of seats, and found the theater to be all but empty. They grabbed a seat toward the back, giving a good view of the screen without having to look upward the entire movie. They sat down next to each other, and Jaune had just barely touched himself down onto the seat then Neo had decided that his lap was a much better seat, as the petite beauty proceeded to climb right into his lap, throwing her arms around his neck as she sat longwise atop him. Jaune's cheeks went pink, but he made no effort to push her away, and in fact placed an arm on the small of her back to give her better support. His consideration was rewarded when the petite woman leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, multicolored eyes gleaming in the dim light of the theater.

Jaune stared back, barely registering the lights growing dimmer, unable to break his gaze away from Neo. Slowly their faces pulled in closer and their lips touched. Like a spark upon gasoline, Neo's ardour seemed to ignite, and what started off as a small kiss quickly grew as Neo's arms wrapped tighter around Jaune's neck, lips moving against his own with a needy hunger. The kiss continued, and Neo all but forced her tongue into Jaune's mouth, although there wasn't much resistance from the young man, who seemed none too upset to let Neo take control of things. He simply mirrored Neo, embracing her and pulling her in close which only served to please his date immensely. As the movie began playing, heralded by an explosion, Neo made it clear that her attention wasn't at all upon the brightly flashing action, but upon the boy in her arms.

After what seemed simultaneously an eternity, and yet not long enough, Jaune and Neo broke free from each other, moving their faces only a few scant inches from each other to catch their breath. Jaune could barely gasp, before Neo with even greater hunger than before, pushed their mouths together once more. Her hands moved up, from his neck to his head, as petite, well-manicured nails ran through his hair as she held him in place, utterly ravishing Jaune's mouth.

The fire that had ignited within Neo when she'd first encountered Jaune in that quaint little cafe caught once more and the lovely beauty situated herself into a straddling position facing Jaune, so he had no other choice than to stare at her while she continued to plunder his mouth with her own. Once again they broke, and once again Neo only gave her new boyfriend a scant few seconds to come to grips with things before she dived back in, hot and heavy.

For Jaune, he could hardly believe what was going on. A few kisses, a few chaste pecks, those were things he expected. Growing up with seven sisters gave Jaune a bit of insight into the dating scene, and there seemed to be nothing that turned them off faster than men trying to rush things in the relationship. Usually such intense make out sessions weren't spoken of until the'd been well into their dates. Neo, though? She was kissing him with the passion that he'd expect out of a lover who hadn't seen him in years. The way her body moved against his, the way her tongue slipped in between his lips and all but _claimed_ him as her own, even the small, nearly imperceptible squeaks of delight from Neo, the only sounds she could make, were all working together to overwhelm him, and yet…

Neo paused in mid kiss pulling away slightly. Her smirk, the usual one she had on her face, was turned up to eleven as she stared at Jaune. Slowly, her gaze looked down, and Jaune's face temporarily turned the shade of his partner's hair. The movement of Neo's hips against his groin had procured the natural reaction, and despite himself, Jaune felt mortified. "I-I'm s-so-" He began, but he was cut off by another kiss, silenced by Neo's eager affection. It wasn't until she finally pulled away once more, that she gave him her response.

" _Don't be._ " Neo signed, her smirk at its smuggest. Her hand reached up and stroked his cheek. Jaune could feel her heartbeat with how close she was pressed against him, and in turn Neo could feel his own, a mirror to her own pounding pulse. Jaune forced himself to relax. He wasn't sure why, but Neo seemed to honestly, truly like him. Even when she was teasing him, he could tell there was not a lick of malevolence in her actions. All at once, he was overcome with affection, and this time it was Jaune's turn to embrace his new girlfriend with passion, pressing their lips together. There wasn't even an ounce of resistance, instead Neo happily obliged, the movie continuing on behind them, ignored…

* * *

The movie ended, and the two had hesitantly disentangled themselves from one another. By this point Jaune was fairly certain he could recall what his girlfriend's lips tasted like even while blindfolded. They'd actually stopped making out two thirds of the way from the movie, if only to give Jaune a chance to catch his breath, and to prevent their mouths from getting bruised. Neo once again had latched onto his arm, pressing her chest against him in a way that kept his face in a slight blush the entire time. As they stepped onto Vale's main street, Jaune turned down to his petite lover, his other arm scratching the back of his neck. "Nice m-movie, huh?" Jaune nervously joked.

Neo smirked at him, pleased, practically nuzzling his arm in agreement. "I...um...I had an idea for dinner, if you wouldn't mind. Do y-you like Italian?" Neo gave a thoughtful expression, finger to her lips, then nodded.

Jaune resisted the urge to sigh in relief. He didn't have any other plans if Neo was disagreeable to the idea of Italian. At least now he could try to impress her with his culinary tastes. "Alright," Jaune replied, feeling more confident now than he'd ever felt before. "I know a great little place in Vale; don't let the looks fool you. It might look like a hole in the wall, but the food is amazing. I've gone there every time my family and I visited Vale." He glanced down to Neo, who nodded. She didn't look like she really cared where they went, seemingly happy simply just to cling to him. Feeling bold, Jaune stopped in the street and leaned down, quickly capturing Neo's lips.

The move caught the petite girl off guard, but she quickly recovered, beaming at him as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her tongue ran over her lips in a way that caused a pleasant shiver to run over Jaune's spine. The look on her face reminded Jaune of hunger, but it wasn't in a way that screamed for food. He shook his head slightly, dislodging those thoughts. He wasn't going to let his body call the shots. Yes, Neo was attractive, and yes, he wouldn't mind _at all_ to do more... _mature_ activities with her, but this was the first date, and Jaune wanted someone not just to warm his bed, but to warm his heart. Still, with those little smirks she gave him, and those passionate, lusty kisses she gave him during the movie, it was hard not to think of such things.

He extended his arm and Neo grabbed onto it, once again falling in step with each other as they made their way through Vale's streets, casually walking and taking in the ambiance. Vale was a city of art, of culture. Restaurants, art museums, cafes, the entirety of Vale was a patchwork of artistry and style. Simply walking through its brightly lit streets during the cool hours shortly after dusk was pleasant in and of itself. Neither Jaune, nor Neo, spoke a word, simply enjoying the atmosphere.

Neo rarely had a chance to actually stop and take in Vale. Sure, she lived in a fancy part of Vale, and sure, she'd been around, but to actually spend time to stop and take in the atmosphere was something she'd never done before. Arms wrapped around Jaune's, their footsteps in step like a metronome, Neo couldn't deny that, if only for a moment, Vale actually seemed...peaceful. It was easy to forget about the seedier, corrupt, underbelly that Neo had become so familiar with. Roman would consider her foolish, but he'd long since abandoned any pretense of desire to return to a peaceful existence, and while Neo had come to terms with living a life of death and crime, this was something she'd craved so much.

Their walk wasn't too long from the movie theater, no longer than half an hour or so. The location that Jaune had been speaking of was tucked away behind a couple of alleys, as though the owner of the place was actively trying to avoid customers. Even the outside of it didn't look much like a restaurant, more like a shoddy apartment on the bottom floor. Neo had to hide her disdain at the appearance. It certainly didn't _look_ like a place that someone as refined as her would eat. Still, she'd learned from her beloved blond angel that appearances could be deceiving. "I know it doesn't look like much," Jaune spoke up, catching Neo's attention, "but the food is absolutely amazing.

Neo shrugged. What harm could it do? The two made their way into the restaurant, Jaune holding the door for Neo politely. As they walked inside, they were greeted with the sight of a man so stereotypical, that Neo swore he was doing it on purpose. "Welcome to Giovanne's- Jaune?! Is that you!" A tall, portly man with a thick black mustache marched over and before Neo could react, swept up the tall blond boy in his arms in a hug that Neo swore she could hear bones popping from. "I haven't seen you in ages! And who is this petite signora?"

Jaune, after having been put down and collecting his breath, gave a shaky smile. "Hey Giovanne. This is my girlfriend, Neo."

Neo for a brief moment had an internal flash of panic. She wasn't anywhere well known as her more flashy and outspoken partner, but there were some who knew of the sadistic assassin Neopolitan, and she wondered if this was a good idea. Said feeling only increased as the portly chef's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. Finally, however, he broke out into peals of laughter. "Wonderful, wonderful! Good to see that the Arc charm is still in effect, eh? Enough blabber from Giovanne though, you two must be famished! Sit, sit!"

The man all but dragged Jaune, Neo following closely behind with an expression torn between worry and amusement, until they were brought to a little candle-lit booth. Neo, having time to actually take in the interior, was feeling much more at ease. While the outside was shoddy, the inside had a lovely atmosphere, almost rustic. Plants had been nurtured in boxes behind the seats, the seats themselves were covered in a deep burgundy fabric. They were sat down, and two menus were produced from nowhere by the large man, and placed before the two. "Please, take your time! Can I get you two anything to drink?"

Jaune opened his mouth, and froze. He didn't know if Neo was someone who'd appreciate a fine wine, or something non-alcoholic. If she did, he didn't know what kind of wine to purchase. As his mouth opened and closed in his attempt to find words, Neo solved that little issue for him by lifting the menu and pointing to a name on the menu, alongside a surprisingly impressed look.

"Haha! Quite the little sommelier, aren't you? One order of Amontillado, coming right up!" Giovanne turned on his heel, and wandered off into the back of the restaurant. Giovanne gone, Neo and Jaune turned to face each other, with Neo affixing him with a raised eyebrow signifying her slight bemusement and amusement at the situation.

"Hehe…" Jaune sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about Giovanne. He's a good man, just a little exuberant. He's an old friend of the family through one of my sisters." He went silent, then replied, "I...um...I admit, I'm not really much of a drinker. N-not that I'm against it! I've j-just never really done it before."

Neo smiled. " _No worries, I promise I won't get you drunk tonight._ " She signed out, the little mischievous smirk on her face growing.

Jaune laughed. "I'll give it a try, though. I'm pretty certain that being in an academy gives you licence to drink, doesn't it?" Neo's response was a shrug. Operating on the other side of the law really didn't give her much opportunity to explore said law. Giovanne had come back faster than expected, holding with him a small metal bucket filled with ice, and a large bottle of what looked to be an amber colored liquid. Jaune and Neo watched as Giovanne opened the cork on the wine bottle, and Neo held out her glass by the stem, allowing the large man to pour her glass.

Unsure of what to do, Jaune simply sat, letting Neo bring the glass up to her face, sniffing at the wine. Seemingly satisfied, she took a sip, swishing it slightly around in her mouth. After swallowing, she flashed Giovanne a pleased smile and nodded. "Wonderful! It appears the little signora has quite the excellent taste! She's a keeper, Jaune." Giovanne placed the wine bottle back down. Jaune reached for it, but Neo gently swatted his hand away, waggling her finger. Confused, Jaune started to open his mouth, only for Neo to grab the bottle and pour Jaune a glass. Giovanne's subsequent laughter only served to confuse Jaune even more. "The little signora is better at wine etiquette than you are! You let the one who ordered the wine, pour it for their guest."

Jaune's face went red with embarrassment and he lowered his gaze. "I knew that…" he murmured. Neo giggled silently and placed a hand on his own, as though to let him know that his little faux pax wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. Feeling better, Jaune returned her gesture with a smile.

"I'll leave the two of you to figure out what you'd like to eat. Just call Giovanne's name whenever you're ready." The portly man laughed heartily and wandered off to the back once more, leaving Jaune and Neo alone.

Neo tilted her head curiously at Jaune, glancing at his wine glass. Jaune started. "Oh! S-sorry. Got distracted." He raised the glass and Neo did so too, bringing the bell of her glass to clink gently against Jaune's before taking another sip. Jaune followed suit. The taste wasn't terrible, but his lack of drinking experience must have shown on his face as Neo once again silently giggled at him. He smacked his lips and tilted his head. "Huh. I can't tell if I like it or hate it."

" _It's an acquired taste._ " Neo signed away.

Jaune slowly began to smile, looking away from Neo. "I think I prefer the taste of Ne _o_ politan myself." He chuckled to himself, and turned back to her…

And another shiver ran up his spine at the sight of her smirk, her eyes low lidded as she ran her tongue over her lips. " _Don't tease me, Jaune_." Neo signed away. " _I might just take you up on that…_ "

* * *

 **A/N: And thus ends part one of the date! Sorry for taking so long with this, just been having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. With any luck, I should have Mastermind being updated before too long as well, as I'm currently on break from shutdown. All seems fine in the world of Neo and Jaune, but how much longer will it last? How long can Neo hold herself back, and how will she take the news of Jaune being surrounded by other women? Stay tuned to find out...**

 **B/N: MAKEOUTS!**


	7. VII

**Innocence**

 **VII**

* * *

A sip of wine. A click of silverware upon the off-white plates. Silence had fallen between Neo and Jaune, but it was a comfortable silence as the two ate. The conversation, which had been some small talk, had trailed off when Giovanne had brought their food. Neo had ordered some dish that Jaune was incapable of pronouncing but looked colorful and smelled surprisingly appetizing for something that had so many veggies in it. Jaune had ordered an Alfredo dish; normally he'd go for something he knew was simple like Ravoili, but he wanted to appear at least somewhat mature in front of Neo. Still, Giovanne's cooking was second to none and Jaune was pleased with his choice. Neo paused in the middle of her eating, her gaze flickering to Jaune, who looked back with silent befuddlement. She smiled, then scooped up a forkful of food and held it up to Jaune.

'Dense' as he was known to be, he got the hint quickly and he moved his mouth forward to take a bite of the offered food. His eyes widened as he bit down onto the fork and tasted the dish. Neo had good taste in food, that was for certain. The complex mix of vegetables, pasta and a rich cream sauce filled his mouth. "Wow, _that's_ good. Makes mine seem iffy by comparison."

Neo silently giggled and leaned forward, opening her mouth slightly and closing her eyes. Jaune paused a few moments, and, figuring out what she was getting at, wrapped up a few of his own noodles onto his fork and placed it gently into Neo's waiting mouth. She closed, chewed and gave a thoughtful look. Then, she brought her hands up and began to sign something out. " _He really knows what he's doing._ " Neo pointed to Giovanne as she signed out. Jaune grinned, quite pleased that Neo enjoyed his choice in dinner.

"He does, doesn't he?" Jaune moved back to his seat and continued to eat his own dish. Neo took a few more bites of her own meal and sat back, sipping calmly on her wine. As Jaune went back to his own food, Neo watched him carefully. The night had been magical as far as she was concerned. Such innocence from him, it warmed her to see such a thing. It was so nice, for once, to be able to have a conversation with someone, see their weaknesses, and yet know that it wasn't some lure to trap her. Even when she could tell he was acting out of character to impress her, it was with such earnest clumsiness that she felt endeared, rather than lied to. He wanted to please her because he liked her.

But...did he?

Neo frowned. Sure, she wasn't lying to him about her own feelings; she did cherish the boy and wanted to lavish him in love, but he didn't know all about her. Her multicolored eyes focused upon the glass of wine in her hand, noticing her reflection. He had no idea how much blood was on her hands, of how much she'd stolen. What would he think if he found out the truth? Her lips turned further downward. To have such sweetness ripped away from her so soon…

"Neo?"

Neo's gaze snapped back up to Jaune, whose expression was filled with concern. "Are you okay?"

She started to shake her head, then nodded. " _I'm fine. Sorry, just deep in thought._ "

Jaune, despite himself, couldn't help but smile and murmur, "Lien for your thoughts?"

His bad joke was met with Neo's amused glance, her hands still as she thought on Jaune's words. Then, slowly, she signed out, " _Just trying to figure out what I want for dessert; ice cream…"_ Neo slowly licked her lips and finished with, " _...or you._ " Neo winked, watching the blush slowly rise on Jaune's cheeks.

Unable to stare directly at her without going redder than a tomato, Jaune looked to the side and grumbled, "I'm not on the menu…" Jaune looked down at his food, wrapping a few noodles absentmindedly on his fork as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart from Neo's flirtatious attitude. He picked the fork up to eat, when the feeling of something brushing against his leg startled him, causing him to drop it. Blue eyes glanced up to be met with the ear to ear smile on Neo's face as she continued to rub her foot along the inside of Jaune's leg, only causing the boy to blush even further. "Neo!"

Neo sighed and stopped, her foot hovering just along the inside of his thigh before lowering it back down with a wry grin. " _I couldn't resist,_ " Neo signed out.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, still averting his gaze. His heart was already racing, and he didn't know what affect he'd have if he laid eyes upon Neo's delicious smirk that she no doubt sported. "Have a little mercy on me, would ya? I get enough teasing from Yang back at Beacon."

 _Cling!_ The sound of Neo's fork hitting her place rang out, her expression frozen. She tilted her head, her hands slowly signaling out, " _Who?_ "

If Neo's reaction had caught Jaune off guard, he didn't make it known. He shrugged and took another bite of his food. After swallowing it, he spoke up, "Yang's a member of our sister team, team RWBY. She teases everyone. I don't hate her, but I can say that I'm glad I got Pyrrha as a partner instead of her."

Neo blinked once. Twice. A third time. Then with absurd speed, whipped out her scroll, all but shoving it into Jaune's face when she'd finished rapidly typing something out. [ **PYRRHA NIKOS?!** ]

Jaune leaned back, eyes widening. "Erm...y-yeah. She's...my partner?"

Neo sat back, stunned. Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha _fucking_ Nikos. Her beloved blond angel's partner, the person who'd been apparently watching out for him, was the redheaded celebrity herself. Neo wasn't interested in something as asinine as children fighting each other, but it was impossible to not hear of Pyrrha Nikos. She was hailed as a veritable combat prodigy, on talk shows, magazines and even cereal boxes. To make matters even worse, Pyrrha Nikos was attractive. Neo would have considered herself even moreso, but that didn't make her feel comfortable knowing that someone that famed and attractive was spending nearly every day living, eating and sleeping in the same area as Jaune. One of her hands, resting on her lap, clenched into a fist. A feeling, both familiar and new, coursed through her veins...

"Neo? You there?"

Neo's multicolored gaze shot upward and she gave a shaky smile. She put her scroll away and signed out, " _Yeah, it's fine. Just caught off guard is all._ "

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, I was pretty surprised when I found out how popular she was too. She's a great partner and she's been the one who has been helping me along so far. I appreciate everything she's done for me, although sometimes I feel like she fusses too much sometimes." Hand clenching even tighter Neo glanced down at her food, her mind racing a mile a minute. While it appeared as though Jaune didn't notice it, it seemed very likely that Pyrrha Nikos might have been having feelings for her blond angel. Why else would someone so famous go out of her way to train him? "Then again, I've got my own Yang to deal with in Nora."

 _Twitch_. Hand clenched tighter, Neo took a breath and loosened her grip, raising her hand to signal out, " _So, surrounded by quite a few other women, huh?_ "

Jaune, never the one to pick up on subtleties or social nuances, didn't seem to notice the twitch in Neo's eye, or the stiff way she'd signed out her response. "Yeah, but it's nothing new in my life. Growing up with seven other sisters kinda desensitized me to that."

Neo released a breath, relief washing over her. She still wasn't _completely_ comfortable, but to know that he'd spent that much time around familial women, would mean that it would likely be harder for any women to potentially grab his attention. She picked up her fork, trying to calm herself. Jealousy. She couldn't help it; not after a night like this. Her gaze glanced back up at Jaune. He'd been so sweet, so kind, and she wanted more, oh so much more. She didn't want anyone else to have him. It was honestly tempting, if she were to be brutally honest, to go pay Ms. Nikos a visit at Beacon Academy, just to make sure that nothing could happen but-

She quashed those violent thoughts. Even if Jaune didn't find out it was her, she could tell he seemed to view his partner with respect, and worryingly enough, a modicum of affection. Removing her from the equation would only hurt Jaune, and that was something Neo couldn't seem to bring herself to even think about. Jaune, having eaten some more, glanced back up at Neo and caught her eyes. An idea formed in her mind. She cloaked herself in a shroud of invisibility with her Semblance, leaving behind an illusory clone that sat staring at Jaune with an enigmatic smile.

"What's up, Neo? Do I have something on my face?" Jaune asked, wiping at his face with a napkin and staring down at it. He looked back up at Neo still silently smiling at him, staring. "Um...Neo? You...okay?" When Neo didn't respond or move, Jaune scooted back in his chair, preparing to stand up to approach her. The moment he did though, a weight dropped into his lap and there was a sound like a window pane breaking. The Neo sitting in the chair across from Jaune shattered and faded into nothing, while the air atop his lap cracked apart and revealed Neo herself, sitting in his lap, her arms around his shoulders, face close to Jaune's. "W-what?!" Jaune nearly fell over in his chair, only kept in place by Neo's weight. She giggled silently, and before Jaune could make another word, pressed her lips hungrily against his own.

The two kissed for a few moments longer, Neo's tongue all but forcing its way into Jaune's mouth. As before with the movie theater, Neo was the one in control and all Jaune could do was hold on for the ride. Unlike before, however, Jaune actually pulled himself away eventually, blue eyes glancing wildly about. "N-Neo! We're not alone!" His cheeks were red as he glanced about the restaurant. Luckily, Giovanne was nowhere to be seen. He must have made himself scarce after bringing their food out, not wanting to interrupt the two of them. Jaune heaved a sigh and turned to Neo. "Never mind, I thought Giovanne…" Jaune shook his head. "S-sorry."

Neo smiled and shook her head, stroking his cheek with a hand, and Jaune embraced her, pulling her in closely. The petite woman allowed herself to rest her head in the crook of his neck and, without warning, dragged her tongue across his jawline. Jaune jumped again with surprise, but Neo was stronger than she looked, keeping him in place. "Neo!" Jaune hissed, but was ignored as Neo situated herself more firmly in his lap, this time straddling him and facing him. Jaune's cheeks were nearly a cherry red as his girlfriend continued to nibble and lick at his jaw, his mouth and his neck, savoring his sounds and the way his grip tightened against her. Thoughts began to run through her mind. She could claim him now. Bring him back to her home, and make him hers. The fire inside of her flared up again and she could feel herself growing wet with arousal as she once again forced her tongue inside of his mouth in a heated kiss.

If she claimed him now, made him hers, then surely he wouldn't leave her for any of the women he was surrounded with twenty-four seven, would he? It would be so easy to lure him back and show him a real woman. Show him everything. She paused, her tongue dragging across his jawline on the other side of his face. He was tense. He hadn't pushed her away, but she could tell, from both how stiff his body was, and how his heart was beating like a jackhammer in his chest, that he wasn't ready. Reluctantly, she stopped her ministrations, an unfamiliar feeling blossoming within her chest. Guilt. She'd been so consumed with worry over someone stealing him away that she nearly ended up forcing this faster than was natural. She pulled herself away from him, noticing that he visibly relaxed. " _Sorry,_ " Neo signed out slowly, unable to meet his gaze. " _I guess I got carried away._ "

Jaune began to open his mouth to say something, and stopped. To Neo's surprise, instead of pushing her off of him, or getting angry, he instead wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "I-it's fine. I just….w-wasn't expecting it, is all."

Neo stiffened for a moment, then sank into the embrace, closing her eyes as she sat in his arms, feeling his heartbeat. Everything save for his warmth and his embrace faded away, and the sick feeling in her chest vanished, replaced with a far more delightful sensation. The fire within her died down and what remained was something that Neo could say she'd rarely, if ever, felt before. While she couldn't define it, in that moment, it was more precious than all the Lien, all the Dust, all the power she'd ever attained. She craved it, _needed_ it. Her own arms wrapped around him, holding onto him almost for dear life.

"Hey...Neo?"

Neo, lost in her own little world, was jolted out of her reverie by Jaune's voice. She very reluctantly disentangled herself from him, but remained in his lap, blinking at him. She tilted her head, adopting a quizzical expression. He was smiling softly at her. "As much as I love to hold you, Neo, I think we should at least finish our dinner, first, don't you?"

Slowly, Neo nodded, smiling back, although a little more wryly. She wanted to stay there, in his arms, but a public place, no matter how quiet and empty it appeared, was hardly the time for anything of the sort. The petite woman rose from Jaune's lap and made her way back around to the other side of the table and sat down. As she picked up her fork, Jaune spoke again, but this time, his voice sounded slightly distressed. "Damn it…" he murmured.

Neo blinked, her expression turning downward. Jaune met her eyes and waved a hand frantically in front of him. "O-oh, it's not you! I-I just noticed the time and...well, I know we were going to go to a weapons shop tonight, but it's probably closed by this hour."

Jaune's worries were met with Neo smiling and silently giggling, her hands quickly signing out, " _Don't worry, hot stuff. The place we're going to isn't your usual weapons dealer. They're open during the evenings instead of the afternoon._ "

"Phew, that's a relief." Jaune mentioned, smiling again. Neo nodded and took a bite of her food, now growing slightly cold. The place _was_ usually open during the evenings...and if the proprietor of the place was wise, it would be open this evening as well. He wouldn't want to deal with an upset Neo. No one did. She had a reputation in the Valean underground for a reason.

The two continued eating, falling silent yet again until at last, the clink of forks upon the plates signified that the two had reached their limits. Jaune had finished his entirely, and Neo, despite giving it her best shot, found the meal to be surprisingly filling. Raising a hand, Jaune called out, "Giovanne! Could we please get our check?"

As if from nowhere, the dark haired man appeared from the other side of the restaurant, smiling from ear to ear. Neo had to admit, she was impressed. The man had obviously stayed away to give the two some alone time, and for that, she was grateful. If she could get Roman to promise to be on his best behavior, she might even consider bringing him to the place for lunch for some quality food. "Of course, of course! I do hope everything went well?"

Jaune nodded. "The food was amazing as ever, Giovanne." Neo also turned to the man and smiled nodding in agreement. This seemed to greatly please the man, who stood up straighter and gave a booming laugh.

"And the little signora seems to agree as well! I must say, you've got excellent taste, Jaune." He smiled and winked, and Neo put her hand to her mouth, giving a silent giggle.

"Well, she kinda found me. Glad she did though." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Neo, whose smile only grew wider.

"Here you two go," Giovanne replied, placing a black leather fold onto the table with a receipt inside. Jaune reached forward to grab it, but was intercepted by Neo's lightning quick movements, the petite beauty grabbing it and stuffing something inside, before handing it back to Giovanne with a smile.

"Neo!" Jaune cried out. "I can't let y-" His outcry was silenced as Neo placed a finger onto his lips, still smiling at Giovanne.

Giovanne laughed again as he picked up the check. "I wouldn't argue with the little signora. She's the type who seems like she knows what she wants!"

Jaune sighed and hung his head. As Giovanne walked away, Jaune turned to Neo. "Neo...I could have gotten that...I'm not _broke_." Neo simply smiled at Jaune and shook her head, looking pleased with herself. "...nevermind." Jaune murmured, giving up. A hand stroked his cheek and Jaune glanced back up, staring into Neo's eyes. "You know...I meant it."

Neo tilted her head curiously once again, and Jaune's own smile grew.

"I'm glad you found me, Neo." He finished, and with that, leaned across the table, kissing Neo softly…

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so...yeah. It's been awhile since I've updated anything, and I am truly sorry. I'm still being trained at work, which means that I'm either tired from just waking up, or tired from being off of work. This makes doing any writing difficult, as I'm usually brain-dead after work from exhaustion. I was originally going to make this chapter longer, but I figure I wanted to update something sooner rather than later. We'll get into the nitty gritty next chapter of Jaune's new weapon, what he chooses, and the end of the date.**

 **Also, jealous Neo. We'll be seeing her again sooner rather than later. Can't let anyone take her blond angel.**

 **Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou**

 **(P.S. No beta note because beta had nothing to say.)**


	8. VIII

**Innocence**

 **VIII**

* * *

Once again, Jaune found himself on the streets of Vale, with Neo wrapped around one arm as they walked through the evening air. The weather couldn't have been better; clear and cool without being too cold. They'd left Giovanne's place happily, and Neo had subtly nudged him through Vale's streets. It was later in the evening, Jaune's scroll showing it a little after 9pm, but surprisingly his team, or more specifically Pyrrha, hadn't called worrying about him. The streets were much quieter than when they'd first started off, and there was a lovely calm in the air. Every so often, a car would drive by interrupting the quiet, but for the most part, things had been as well as they could be.

The night, for all of its ups and downs had far more positive than negative to Jaune. Sure, Neo seemed... _handsy_ , for lack of a better term, but he couldn't truly say he hated it. It was nice to know that she knew him for the weak, dork that he was, and _still_ desired him. His only concern was that he still didn't know much about her. She'd made mention of doing some bodyguard work, (who for, she never said.) and that she disliked her boss's boss, but beyond that, she seemed rather tight-lipped about her private life. Neo was sweet, attractive and doting, but Jaune wanted to know _her_. It felt...for lack of a better term, _awkward_ , to be receiving such an expensive gift from someone without knowing that much about them. He'd have been more insistent upon denying such a gift, but his desire to become a stronger Huntsman quelled those thoughts. He knew it was wrong, but his desire to catch up to his classmates was something that could not be ignored.

Jaune forced himself from his internal debate, mentally chastising himself for having fallen silent for so long and ignoring Neo. It was only then when he noticed where they were. He'd been following Neo's subtle nudges and pulls through the Vale streets and they were now in an unfamiliar area of town, and one that seemed rather...decrepit. The streetlamps were a dim yellow that cast shadows in every alleyway and Jaune swore he could see a rat skitter into a sewer grate. A pair of ragged looking men stared at the two of them, their expressions less than pleasant, and Jaune swallowed. Even the buildings seemed like they were falling apart with many a window barred and boarded up, seemingly abandoned or used by vagrants. Jaune was no coward, but being on the seedy side of town wasn't exactly sitting comfortably with him.

"Uh...N-Neo?" Neo looked up at him, tilting her head in that manner that Jaune found cute, or would have if his concerns weren't focused on their surroundings. "Do...do you know where we're going?"

Neo nodded confidently, untangling her arms from his own to sign out, ' _I know this place like the back of my hand. I've been here often.'_ With that, Neo clamped back onto Jaune, and pushed him gently down another street.

Jaune should have felt more at ease with Neo's answer, and yet while his concerns about their location were eased, it brought up new concerns in its place. _Why_ was Neo familiar with this place? For a woman who looked as high society as she did, it seemed like a rather desolate place for her to have spent any time in. He opened his mouth to inquire more, then closed it a few moments later when no words would spring forth. How could he even bring such a thing up without sounding accusatory?

Another nudge and the two walked down into an alleyway between two brick and mortar buildings. It felt darker than the surrounding area, which didn't help Jaune's mood. The only light came from a particularly dim streetlamp at the entrance of the alleyway, and in the distance, a lamp that shined down upon the doorstep of a side entrance to some unmarked location. "I-Is this it?" Jaune asked, half in disbelief and half with worry. He looked down to see Neo nod, and once again she hesitantly disentangled herself from Jaune's arm. ' _Let me do the negotiating. You just think on what kind of weapon you want, okay hot stuff?_ '

Jaune froze for a moment, then nodded. Even if Neo hadn't told him, he would have been silent. The entire situation felt so surreal to him; in the middle of the seedy end of town in some back alley, having some girl buy a new weapon for him so he could go fighting in an underground arena so he could catch up to his allies in a school that he had forged his transcripts for. The absurdity of the situation hit him all at once and left him standing in the shadows of the alley, not noticing that Neo had moved forward toward a green metal door, rusted and peeling in places.

A part of him wanted to call the whole thing off. Maybe tell Neo to forget about it all. He was already doing something illegal with having cheated his way into Beacon Academy, but to also add illegal fighting and gambling to it all? Not to mention that this entire night time excursion to this back alley weapons shop just felt... _wrong_ to Jaune. In fact, how did Neo even know about something like The Pit? Underground arena fighting didn't sound _that_ bad, but it was still something illegal, and not something he'd have expected someone who looked and acted like Neo to be involved in. If she was involved in that, what else could she be involved in?

 _CLANK CLANK CLANK_

It was the sounds of Neo's tiny fist hitting the door that shook Jaune from his thoughts. His eyes glanced around the darkened alleyway, heart pounding. Shame rushed through him; he wasn't normally this big of a coward, but he was in unfamiliar territory without a weapon being led into an unknown location with only a four foot something girl to protect him. He shook his head; Neo wouldn't willingly lead him into danger, hell, this was all to _help_ him! There was a small screech of metal as a slot in the door opened up and a pair of bloodshot eyes peered out, barely illuminated by the lamp outside. "The hell do you want?" A gruff voice growled out, the eyes flickering back and forth before resting upon Jaune's nervous expression. "Get the hell out of here kid, I don't deal with brats!"

 _CLANK_

Neo had struck the door again, catching the attention of the eyes, and when they fell upon the curvaceous, diminutive damsel, widened to near dinner plates. "Y-y-you!" The man's nervous outburst was only answered with Neo glaring up at him, a hand on her hip. Neo withdrew her scroll and quickly typed something that Jaune couldn't follow, practically shoving it at the door. The man's eyes widened further (Jaune assumed that to be impossible) and there was a clicking and clacking noise from behind the door. It swung inwards, revealing a younger looking man with bloodshot eyes and stubble as though he hadn't seen a razor or his bed in days. "C-couldn't you have just sent in your weapon if it needed-"

Neo's scroll was all but shoved into the man's face who recoiled back to read it, raising his flatcap off of his head to scratch at his messy hair. "A weapon? For him? What, does Roma- _OOF!_ " His inquiry was cut off as Neo jabbed the handle of her parasol into the man's stomach hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs. "Okay, okay!" He wheezed, turning on his heel to enter into the dimly lit room behind him. Neo turned on her heel, smiling sweetly at Jaune as though she hadn't just attacked the stranger and he could only return with a nervous, shaky smile. Neo simply motioned for him to follow her, and with a swallow, he complied.

Crossing the threshold, Jaune felt slightly more at ease simply from the decorations in the...shop? It was really hard to call it a shop; yes there were weapons strewn about, but none of them really seemed to be on display, just haphazardly thrown wherever they were out of the main path. There were posters on the walls, some of them Jaune recognized as X-Ray and Vav posters, while others were of popular games. "So," a voice snapped him out of his observation. Jaune turned to the speaker, the young man in the flatcap who was looking him over with undisguised confusion and derision, "You're the one looking for a weapon? What's your budget?"

 _THACK!_

" _OW!_ What's your deal?!" The young man rubbed his shin where Neo had driven the heel of her stilletos. Neo's hand gentle fondled the hilt of her parasol and the young man blanched. "Alright, alright! No budget! I hope you don't expect me to do this for free!" Neo just rolled her eyes and pointed back to Jaune, who felt _very_ confused. Seeing Neo like this was a bit jarring; she was so sweet and kind to him, and here she was, smacking around this random guy. She felt so different from the kind girl who'd been a bit handsy during their date. "Alright, so what weapon are you looking for?"

"Huh?"

The man groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's why the pint-sized demon here dragged you here, innit?" He ignored Neo's vicious glare, which managed to send a shiver up Jaune's back at the intensity of it. "So what kind of weapon are you looking for?"

It took Jaune a few good tries before his mouth caught up with his mind, and he managed to rush out a very shaky, "A s-s-sword and sh-shield."

"...that's it?"

Jaune froze. What else was he supposed to say? Crocea Mors was no frills aside from the shifting shield/sheath combo and even that wasn't all that impressive compared to some of the more complex weapons his friends wielded. "I...I don't know?" Jaune squeaked, feeling awkward all of the sudden. It wasn't like he gave it much thought. The young man in the flatcap cocked an eyebrow, glancing between Jaune and Neo.

"For fear of having my shins broken," another glare was leveled at the young man, but he seemed to either not care or didn't notice, "We'll start off with a sword and shield base. I'm guessing you aren't interested in any other weapons, so we'll keep the sword as is." The young man made his way to a computer in the corner of the room and began to type away on it, pausing only to grab a chocolate covered biscuit stick from a box and shove it into his mouth. "You don't look like much of a fighter either," He added. Jaune frowned, but said nothing. "So let's give you a bit of an edge...Dust is always fun…" The biscuit was snapped in half, the uncovered portion falling to the ground along with the other detritus of the room. "I got it."

Jaune blinked. "G-got what?"

"A kid like you needs an edge, and Dust usually helps that edge if you know how to use it intelligently. So, we'll get you a nice titanium alloy sword, maybe coat that baby's edge in diamond to give it that extra cutting power, and put a Dust Infusion Relay in your shield with a trigger grip. Three chambers? Maybe if I cut down on the thickness we could use a four chamber...no, too long to switch chambers, this is a trick shield, not a full on Dust caster weapon…"

Jaune just watched, blinking gormlessly at the young man who now seemed to be lost in a world of his own, muttering to himself as he began to mess around on the screen. Neo walked up and Jaune started to as well, seeing the look in her eyes. He was hoping Neo would stop being so... _aggressive._ He already felt weird about the whole idea, and Neo's sudden change in personality wasn't helping issues. However, his fears proved, at least just once, to be unfounded as Neo simply tapped his shoulder with the tip of her parasol and the young man jumped, flinching once more. "Fuck! Don't do that! What?!"

Neo tapped her foot, her expression expectant. "Right, price. How fine a weapon are we talking about here? Depending on materials and quality, we're talking anywhere up to-" As if Neo were anticipating his speech, she once again interrupted him with a scroll to the face, and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairlines. " _Hookay_ , that's a lot of zeros. Rush job?" Neo nodded. "Right. Between getting the materials here and the forging, the fastest I can get this done is in a week."

Neo's gaze narrowed and the young man threw his hands up. "I swear! Look, my supplier has to get through customs, and that alone is going to take a least a day or two hang up! Plus, if you're paying me _that_ much, I'd think you'd want high quality work, right? Weapons take time. Miss Demeanor took almost a month, if you don't recall?" His statement was met with a look of exasperation and reluctant resignation. Neo typed out something else on her scroll and lifted it up. "You...want me to deliver it? Seriously?" Another glare from Neo. "Alright, alright! Sheesh. Why can't you and your bum of a partner find some other poor schmuck to deal with?"

Jaune actually recoiled when his date gripped the handle of her umbrella and...was that a _blade_?! It was just a flash of steel hidden in the umbrella, but it spoke volumes. Even more surprising, despite how quickly he'd capitulated the entire rest of the night, the young man stood his ground, glaring back at her. "Oh, go _right ahead._ Good luck finding anyone else willing to deal with you two and at _my_ quality!"

Neo's hand clenched tighter, and her glance flickered over her shoulder at Jaune. Her eyes widened upon seeing Jaune's almost scared expression, and with a soft _click_ , sheathed the blade back in the parasol, turning back to the young man. Her hands grabbed at her scroll, typed something out and flashed it at the young man who sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll have it then in a week. Now, please, _get the fuck out of my shop._ "

Jaune almost rushed for the door. The night had been nice, but now things had taken a turn for the awkward. Neo had been acting...strangely. Plus, he felt bad for the beleaguered weapons dealer, who seemed to have dealt with Neo and...something about a partner? Someone from her Academy training? Neo followed behind him, glancing over her shoulder one last time at the young man in the flatcap who stuck his hands in his pockets and turned away as the two of them walked out into the cool night air.

The moment the door was closed, Neo's arms wrapped around Jaune's, but this time causing him to jump slightly, his heart hammering in his chest. Neo looked up at him, her expression concerned. "S-sorry. This whole... _thing_ , has me all jumpy." Jaune replied, blue eyes glancing to the side, unable to meet Neo's gaze. It felt strange to tell the girl that her behavior had scared him a little. "So...um…who _was_ that?"

Neo shook her head and pulled Jaune's arm tighter against her chest, causing blood to rush to his cheeks, to say nothing of other places. Part of him wanted to press the issue, but Neo looked so happy and content holding onto him, and his willpower waned. Maybe some other time Neo would give him more answers. He gave a small sigh and the two of them fell into silence as they made their way back toward Vale proper, with the moon to light their way…

* * *

 **[Vale - Bullhead Landing Zone]**

* * *

"So...I guess this is good night then."

Jaune and Neo facing each other on the ramp to the bullhead back to Beacon Academy. Neo nodded, looking a bit melancholy that their time had ended. The blond boy scratched the back of his neck, smiling warmly. "I...uh...I enjoyed myself." He replied lamely. It was the truth, for the most part. While the night had ended on a surreal note, he couldn't say that he wouldn't be pleased to go on another date with his...girlfriend. They'd kissed, held hands, hell, even made out a little. There was no other word he could describe her as now. The very thought brought a smile to his lips and a flush to his cheeks.

Neo signed out, ' _Don't make me wait too long to see you again, hot stuff.'_

Jaune chuckled. "Y-yeah. When did you want to get together for the, erm…" he trailed off, not wanting to discuss illegal fighting arenas where people might overhear him.

' _The Pit? A week from now. Your new weapon will be there. All you have to do is bring your cute little behind and a bit of fighting spirit. We'll make a Huntsman out of you yet, hot stuff. Of course, if you want to see me sooner, I can arrange that…_ ' Neo finished her signing with a salacious wink that had Jaune's face growing redder.

"R-right. Well...good night…" Jaune murmured, starting to turn, when he noticed Neo staring up at him expectantly. He blinked in confusion. "Is...something wrong?"

Neo sighed, giving a wry smile before suddenly running and leaping at him, Jaune barely catching her. He nearly dropped her again when she pushed her lips against his own in one more hungry, deep kiss, feeling her tongue slip against his own and her hands running through his hair. Despite himself, he let out a small moan and Neo's legs wrapped around his midsection as she kept the kiss going for as long as she could. It was with great hesitation that she pulled away from him, lips and eyes glistening in the moonlight and nearly stopping Jaune's heart with her beauty. She stared into his eyes for a few moments, smirking happily at him before she finally pulled herself away from him and landed on the tarmac, turning on one heel and walking away from Jaune, swaying her hips back and forth. Jaune watched her, making sure to pick his jaw up off the floor until she finally moved out of view around a street corner, his heart pounding the entire time.

He staggered backward into the Bullhead, barely even hearing the announcement of the pilot as he strapped himself in, his mind awhirl. A goofy smile found its way on his lips and he laughed softly to himself as he looked about the empty Bullhead, he the only passenger returning to Beacon at the late hour. Jaune reached into his pocket, drawing out his scroll and opening it up, noticing the time. 10pm. He blinked, surprised. He'd expected Pyrrha to call earlier, seeing how she always seemed to be fussing over him, but so far, no one had called. Of course, it was at that moment that an [Incoming Call] message flashed and Jaune didn't even need to look at the caller ID to know who it was.

"Hey Pyrrha."

"Jaune? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm on the Bullhead back now."

"Oh, good." Pyrrha cleared her throat, her expression pleasant, although expectant as though she were waiting for Jaune to speak again. Then, "So how did it go?"

"Huh?"

"The interview?"

"O-Oh!" Jaune nearly smacked himself for forgetting his cover story. "I-it went well! I got the job!" A part of him felt a bit guilty lying to his partner like that, but he knew that Pyrrha would never agree to him getting the crap kicked out of himself on the weekdays in some illegal arena.

"Wonderful! When will you start?"

"A week from today. I may have to go in early for some paperwork and all that…" Jaune replied, already thinking of when he could see Neo next.

Pyrrha nodded, stifling a yawn. "That-that's wonderful."

Jaune frowned. "Pyrrha, you should get to bed. I don't want you staying up late on my account."

She shook her head. "It's fine Jaune, really! I-I had some studying I needed to get done anyway, so it wasn't much of a problem."

Jaune sighed. "Still, Pyrrha. I'll be fine; it's _just_ Vale. You don't have to worry about me all the time."

A slight bit of turbulence hit and Jaune looked up, missing entirely the small blush that came to Pyrrha's cheeks, but he did hear her response. "You're my partner Jaune, I can't help it."

Jaune looked back down as Pyrrha turned away from the camera to hide her face and shrugged. "I'm just saying Pyrrha, I might not be...all that good of a fighter yet, but I can take care of myself."

"I-I know that…"

"Anyway, I'll see you in a bit. Try to get some sleep, alright?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I'll try. Good night, Jaune."

"Good night, Pyrrha."

* * *

 **A/N: Yep, I'm back. Check my profile for more details.**


	9. IX

**Innocence**

 **IX**

* * *

 **[Three Days Later]**

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos was a studious huntress-in-training. Her grades, while maybe not absolutely perfect, were still in the top percentage of Beacon Students. She took meticulous notes, studied until the break of dawn on information she couldn't grasp, and never turned in an assignment late. So, when Pyrrha Nikos admitted to having a difficult time keeping focus in the classroom of Grimm Studies professor Peter Port, it _meant_ something. Sure, she listened, but it was a difficult struggle _not_ to fall asleep while listening to the older man talk on and on at length about one of his past 'conquests.' It was for this very reason that when Pyrrha Nikos glanced over to her blond-haired, not-so-secret crush and partner Jaune Arc, she couldn't muster up even the slightest annoyance at seeing him with his head upon the desk, slumbering gently. She smiled wryly, and, after looking surreptitiously around to make sure no one was looking at her, reached over to gently brush a lock of hair from the boy's face.

People might have (and in the case of Weiss, had) said that she had strange tastes in men, and maybe it was the truth, but after having spent nearly half a year living with the blond boy, Pyrrha Nikos would be lying through her teeth if she said that she didn't feel any romantic attraction toward him. While she could admit it to herself though, admitting it to the Jaune himself was another matter entirely. It was almost embarrassing, that she was the four time champion of Mistral and above and beyond her peers when it came to being a Huntsman, but when it came to something as simple as admitting her feelings for her partner:she balked. It was fear, fear of him rejecting her, fear of him turning away from her. Fear that once she admitted her feelings for him, and he didn't feel the same, that she'd lose a friend, and someone who made her feel normal again.

A change of tone in Port's voice brought Pyrrha's attention back to him, reluctantly. "And that's how I managed to defeat the three-headed Taijutu that had been threatening Vacuo. Of course, I asked them not to spread the word, as I didn't need to be constantly called back for more missions. Our time grows short though, so: your assignment!" Pyrrha quickly brought out her scroll, fingers poised over it to type out the assignment. "I want you all to write a two page essay that describes the various weak points on a Taijutu, as well as the myriad types of serpentine Grimm found on the continent of Sanaus. This will be due on Monday of next week." Pyrrha finished up the note, and with a few taps and swipes, sent it to Jaune's scroll. Pyrrha glanced at Jaune's scroll to see if her message had been successfully sent. On the lock screen, she noticed her school ID, showing that she'd sent him something. There was something else on the screen though, something that caught her attention. Another scroll ID.

' _LaceAndSteel? That's not an ID any of us use…'_ Pyrrha internally mused, her lips turning slightly downward. She racked her mind, but couldn't think of anyone else who used that ID. Did...did Jaune have friends outside of Beacon? Friends she didn't know about? Jaune had the right to his privacy, of course, but the ID sounded...feminine. Curiosity grew within Pyrrha's mind, and as if it had a mind of its own, Pyrrha's hand extended toward Jaune's scroll. She stopped herself midway through, and shook her head. ' _No, no, I...I won't do that._ ' Pyrrha frowned. Another buzz, and LaceAndSteel's ID popped up again over Pyrrha's own. The redhead gave a strange sound, a combination of a groan and a whine, masked by the ambient noise of the classroom as people began to chat among themselves. She knew Jaune's password; he hadn't changed it from the default password that the school's scrolls had when they needed their passwords reset. Her curiosity rose again, and she found herself reaching for his scroll again. She didn't mind if Jaune had other female friends, she was fine with Ruby, and Nora and the rest, but…

The bell for the end of class rang, and Pyrrha's hand recoiled sharply back as though the scroll had burned her. At the same time, Jaune's head snapped upright, and he began to glance about, blinking blearily. "Bwuh?" He rubbed his eyes and then, as if he suddenly realized where he was, sat bolt upright, eyes widening. "Oh crap!" He turned to Pyrrha, his cheeks slightly red with embarrassment. "Pyrrha, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep like that!"

Pyrrha couldn't help but giggle. "It's okay, Jaune. Honestly, you didn't really miss much, and I've sent the assignment to your scroll."

Jaune smiled warmly. "Thanks Pyrrha. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

Pyrrha turned away to hide the blush that jumped to her cheeks, and she gave a small cough. "It's no problem, Jaune." She glanced back, when she fought down her slight embarrassment, to see Jaune opening up his scroll. He was smiling an odd smile, one she hadn't seen before. His fingers were texting away rapidly as though he were conversing with someone, and Pyrrha couldn't help herself. "I noticed you got a message from someone else earlier…" She brought up, trying to make it sound as casually as she could. Her heart began to beat a little faster with anxiety. It was almost annoying that Jaune could make her feel like this, feel like just a nervous, love-struck schoolgirl.

He blinked a couple of times, as though he hadn't understood her, then suddenly waved his hands in front of his face. "O-oh! T-that was just um...my...sister!" He finished, giving a nervous laugh.

A wave of relief washed over Pyrrha. Just a family member; no wonder why she hadn't recognized the ID! She let go of a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and gave a small giggle. "Oh, alright. Is everything alright?"

"Um...y-yeah! Everything's perfectly fine! J-just seeing how I was doing!"

Pyrrha seemed satisfied with that and turned away toward the door to the classroom. "We should hurry, Jaune. We don't want to be late for Oobleck's class."

Jaune nodded. "Uh, yeah. Right behind you." He watched Pyrrha begin to make her way to the door and glanced back down at his scroll. He wasn't too fond of lying to Pyrrha, but he only did so to improve himself. Pyrrha would by no means accept his joining the Pit. She probably wouldn't turn him in, but she'd get to worried and try to prevent him from going, even insisting upon increasing their training, and thus taking up more of her already valuable time. No, this was for the best for everyone, Pyrrha included. His eyes fixated upon the message that had been sent during his little snooze during Port's class.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Hot stuff, help me, I'm boooored… :(** ]

Jaune chuckled to himself. He could just imagine his petite girlfriend pouting, and it was a very cute mental image. His fingers flew quickly, responding back.

[ **ArcAngel: Take a nap like I did. Or, better yet, I can send you a recording of Professor Port and you can take a nap with that.** ]

It took Neo a few moments to respond, in which Jaune made his way out of Port's classroom and down the hall toward Oobleck's.

[ **LaceAndSteel: *** _ **Gasp***_ **Cutie, slacking off in class? Naughty naughty…** ]

Jaune snorted in amusement to himself.

[ **ArcAngel: Oh please, everyone slacks off in Port's class. I don't even think anyone on my friend's team can stay awake when he lectures.** ]

Jaune looked up, making sure to move around a couple of students coming in his direction, then back down at his screen when he heard the telltale vibration of a message coming in.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Should have just skipped class and talked to me instead. ;)** ]

Jaune smiled softly, memories of the sweet kisses she'd given him during their first date springing to mind.

[ **ArcAngel: If I wouldn't have ended up in detention for the rest of the week for doing it, I would have.** ]

Jaune stopped and glanced around, walking backward a few feet when he noticed that he'd started walking _past_ Oobleck's classroom. He opened the door up, and made his way down towards his team members who had all sat down ahead of him. He sat down near Pyrrha, but kept just enough distance to make it difficult for her to see what he was doing on his scroll. It buzzed, and he glanced down.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Ugh. That sucks. Then again, I suppose if you spent so much effort trying to sneak in, you wouldn't want to draw attention to yourself.** ]

Jaune smiled wryly, and shook his head.

[ **ArcAngel: True. To make it worse, I've got class with Oobleck, who talks even more than Port, somehow.** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: You should totally make an excuse and ditch.** ]

Jaune drew his lips into a thin line.

[ **ArcAngel: I dunno, I don't want to really get in trouble if I can avoid it…** ]

A minute passed, and a sound of a door in the back of the room closing brought Jaune's attention to Oobleck's arrival. The bell hadn't rung yet, but he was already at his desk, shuffling through papers, no doubt some sort of assignment he'd be giving at the end of his cram lecture. Jaune glanced over to see that Pyrrha had already gotten her writing notes out, as well as Ren, most likely taking notes for Nora, as her attention span was just as bad, if not worse than his own. Another buzz, and his eyes snapped back to his scroll.

[ **LaceAndSteel: I can make it worth your while~…** ]

[ **Image Incoming. Accept? Y/N** ]

Curiously, Jaune hit accept on the image, and waited for the image to load.

If he'd been drinking anything at that moment, he would have spit it out all over his desk, and the back of Cardin's head. Neo had decided to send him a picture that was...well, it was _something_ , alright. He couldn't tell where she'd sent it from, but Neo had taken a picture of her cleavage, and had pulled her shirt down to the point where he swore he could see just the barest hint, the slightest sliver of pink nipple. Neo might have been small, but comparatively, she was stacked. Jaune very quickly exited out of the messaging app and looked furtively around himself, making sure that no one had seen Neo's risque image. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed that he'd lucked out, and that no one had seen it.

He took a few moments to fight down the blush that was starting to rise on his cheeks, lest someone like Nora or Yang see and begin a round of "20 questions to embarrass Jaune Arc." Thankfully, neither of them had noticed his expression, as Yang was busy chatting animatedly away with her partner, and Nora was...already asleep, head resting on Ren's shoulder.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice came from his right, causing him to give a small jump of surprise in his seat. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Y-yeah! Everything's f-fine!" Jaune replied, putting his scroll away with speed that would have put Ruby to shame.

Pyrrha leaned in closer, frowning slightly. "Are you sure? You don't look too well…"

Jaune leaned back slightly. "A-ah, well, I-I um...I actually think I-I might be having some stomach troubles...I-I'm gonna head back to the dorm, c-could you tell Professor Oobleck?"'

"Of course...would you like me to accompany you?" Pyrrha replied, still looking concerned.

"No, t-that's fine. I just need to get some rest, is all." Jaune got to his feet and turned away, trudging toward the door. He clutched at his stomach to further add to the act as he made his way out the door. No one stopped him, not even Oobleck himself, if he even noticed Jaune's absence. It wasn't until he was a fair distance away from the classroom that he stopped his stomach ache act and pulled out his scroll again, popping it open. He stared at the image that Neo had sent him for a few moments, heart pounding in his chest. It was just another reminder of just how attractive she was. His fingers typed out a quick reply, and hit send.

[ **ArcAngel: Neo! I was in the middle of class! Someone else could have seen that!** ]

A few moments and another buzz signaled Neo's reply.

[ **LaceAndSteel: Pfft, it's not like I sent anything that blatant. I'm saving that for our next meeting. ;)** ]

Jaune gave another choking noise.

[ **ArcAngel: You're going to be the death of me…** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: I hope not! There's sooooo many more things I want to do with you… ;)** ]

Jaune groaned, but despite that, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

[ **ArcAngel: All this teasing isn't helping my poor heart.** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Teasing? No, no, this isn't teasing. Teasing implies I don't plan on going through with any of this~…** ]

Jaune, due to his upbringing, tried to be a gentleman. With seven sisters and their dating habits, he'd grown up being reminded that simply being in a relationship for sex was a terrible thing, and he agreed. However, he was still a young man with all the hormones and drives that a healthy young man would have, including libido. Seeing his attractive, petite girlfriend's lovely cleavage, and having said girlfriend all but tell him she was planning on taking things even further, brought about the obvious reaction from him. His cheeks had gone an even deeper red, feeling quite hot, and his pants suddenly became uncomfortably tight. He glanced back and forth to make sure he was alone in the hall, then back down at the scroll in his hand. Jaune swallowed hard, and paused with his fingers above his scroll. What did he say in response to that?

[ **ArcAngel: Really? I can't wait.** ]

Heart pounding in his chest, he waited for Neo's response. Was that too desperate?

[ **LaceAndSteel: Oh? How fast can you get to Vale then?** ]

Jaune gave the oddest involuntary noise, and his heart was pounding in his ears. Was she actually _serious_? For the briefest of moments, part of him wanted to leave Beacon and rush off on the first Bullhead down to Vale, and the image of Neo's lovely figure and her affectionate demeanor made it a _very_ sinfully tempting offer. However, for once, his better nature won over, and he told himself that if he did, surely someone would come looking for him, sooner rather than later. He was already risking things simply by feigning sickness, and if he ended up in detention, he wouldn't be able to make it to the Pit on Friday.

[ **ArcAngel: I...really want to, but it wouldn't work now. I'd get in trouble if I left to Vale now…** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Now who's teasing who?** ]

Jaune's face continued to stay red, but for a different reason now.

[ **ArcAngel: I'm sorry! I really wish I could, but I'd get into serious trouble…** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: I'm kidding, hot stuff! Mostly. Still, I didn't realize that Beacon was so strict.** ]

Jaune frowned, thinking. Then:

[ **ArcAngel: I...could possibly come over when classes finish?** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: Mm? So when can I expect you at the landing zone?** ]

[ **ArcAngel: Um...4-ish?** ]

[ **LaceAndSteel: I'll be waiting. I'll have a nice little surprise for you when you get here~…** ]

Jaune's face was even redder, if that was even possible, as his thoughts began to fill with possibilities of what Neo could possibly have in store for him. He shook his head hard, blond locks flipping back and forth. No, no, no. He couldn't be thinking like that. Neo was just being playful, and he didn't want to come across as a pervert. Still, with how Neo had been acting, and the picture she sent, could he be blamed for thinking the thoughts that he did? Now he was all worked up…

He sighed. Well, he'd skipped out of class, so he might as well head back to the dorm and "take care of business." At the very least, he could meet with Neo with his head _not_ full of sex…

* * *

 **[Vale - Dockyard]**

* * *

"I don't know about you," the sotto voce tones of one Roman Torchwick, floated in through the morning air, "but I don't plan to be around here just in case those brats from Beacon happen to show up again, so if you all don't want to end up in a cage, I'd suggest you all start moving double time!"

A group of White Fang members stared at the red haired, flamboyant thief, no doubt their expressions beneath their masks filled with disdain and hatred, but not a single one of them made a retort. As much as they hated to admit it, the human criminal had a point; one of their previous Dust moving operations had already been busted by a group of Huntsman and they'd lost a great deal of supplies. Instead, there was a general grumbling and dark muttering as the terrorists began to move the heavy metal crates full of Dust back and forth, from the ship they'd managed to hijack into the bullheads that were nearby, already primed and ready for take off at a moment's notice. Roman sighed deeply and strode over to a few empty crates that had been stacked up, upon which his partner Neopolitan sat, smiling delightedly at something on her scroll.

"I swear, Neo. I miss the old days. The days when we weren't just glorified babysitters for a bunch of mangy, fleabitten animals…" Roman theatrically groaned, sitting down next to her as the petite criminal put her scroll away, and affixed him with a sympathetic look.

' _You're the one who insisted we work for Cinder,_ ' Neo's hands rapidly signed out.

Roman returned her glance with an exasperated one of his own. "We've discussed this, dear. I think I can speak for the both of us when I say I don't think either of us wants to end up as part of a flambe. Look, after this whole thing with Mountain Glenn is done and over with, we can use the chaos and just... _vanish._ " Roman waved his hands out as though signifying a magician's vanishing act.

Neo snorted and shook her head, grinning. She paused, then, ' _Hey. Don't suppose you'd mind if I cut and run around 3:30? I've got an appointment to get Miss Demeanor her monthly maintenance.'_

Roman put a hand to his chest, leaning back. "What, and leave me here alone with these freaks? I'm hurt!"

Neo rolled her eyes, but still smirked back, playfully slapping his shoulder. Roman chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, you can get out of here kid. I don't think they're gonna try anything stupid, and if they can keep up this pace, we should be done pretty soon. Got to admit though, you look...excited?"

Neo blinked, as if Roman's inquiry had taken her aback, and paused as if in thought. ' _Oh, it's nothing big. I've just got a new 'stud' for the Pit this weekend._ '

"Oh? And you never told me?"

Neo shrugged. ' _I don't think he'd be good for our line of work, but he'll be good for making some Lien on the side._ '

Roman nodded. "Sure." The thief leaned against the side of the box and looked up into the air with a frown. "Cinder had best be happy with this; I'm growing restless with this constant menial bullshit. I don't know how you're so chipper, Neo; I need something to take the stress off."

Neo shrugged and made a pumping motion with her fist, earning a sharp laugh from Roman. "I think I'd rather have someone else do that for me."

Neo nodded, her own smile growing wider. She did feel a tad guilty for lying to Roman, but it was masked by her excitement. In only a few hours, she'd have her blond angel once more, and, if everything went according to plan, she could start the long, delicious and fun road to corrupting him to being her personal love slave…

...and she could hardly wait.

* * *

 **A/N: *Hand breaks out of the dirt and from out of the ground crawls one LaughingLefou***

 **Fuuuuuuck, this took far longer to come out that I'd been expecting, and I'm sorry about that. I've had two major issues that have been keeping me from updating anything of mine, the first being constantly exhausted from working third shift at the factory once again (not by choice), and the second and more pressing is my work on my own personal work. I've been focusing a lot on that as of late, trying to do some world and character building for a High Fantasy, Diselpunk Crime Drama and while I'm excited and proud of what I have so far, it** _ **has**_ **been taking up a fair bit of time.**

 **But, we have an update, and things are gonna start getting a little steamier soon, and even before we get to the Pit! Jaune and Neo find themselves lying to their respective partners in the name of a budding romance, but how long until that backfires on them? How long can they keep it up? Can Jaune's heart take Neo's exceptionally playful personality?**

 **Special thanks to the Work in Progress discord server for bugging me until I was actually able to update this. With that many authors in one place, it's hard not to avoid catching the writing bug.**

 **Signing off for now, this is LaughingLefou!**


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